JP2004282225A - Photo printer and display control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photo printer capable of revising a display form of thumbnails corresponding to photo images read from a medium in response to a progress state of photo printing and to provide a display control method thereof. <P>SOLUTION: A PC 6 captures a photo image recorded on a medium 3 and gives it to an in-medium data analysis section 7 via a medium reader 2, displays a thumbnail list of the captured photos on an operation / display section 1, when a user 13 selects a thumbnail to be printed and starts photo printing, a printer supervisory section 15 monitors a photo print state in a printer 5, and a display data generating section 8 generates display data of a printing state of the thumbnails, a print object, end of print and the number of printouts which are emphasized in real time on the basis of a supervisory result and print designation information 40 stored in a storage section 14 and outputs the data to the operation / display section 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a photo printing apparatus that prints a photo by designating the thumbnail of the photo to be printed and the number of copies of the photo to be printed from a thumbnail list screen that displays the thumbnails of the photos read from the medium arranged in a predetermined arrangement and displayed. And related to display control of thumbnails during photo printing.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional photo printing device capable of printing a digital photo image with a simple operation, an “image printing system” described in Patent Document 1 is disclosed.
[0003]
The invention of Patent Document 1 reads a digital photo from an external device via a memory card, a hard disk, and an external device connection interface, displays the digital photo on a screen, and displays a photo that a user wants to print via a thumbnail displayed on the screen. There is disclosed a photo printing system in which a photo is selected by inputting an index number after selecting or printing an index of the photo, and then printing the photo by inputting the number of copies of the selected photo.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-327745.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the notification of the progress of the printing process in the conventional photo printing apparatus as in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 uses a percentage display, a number display, and a monotonous standby screen display, so that it is difficult to imagine the finished state of the photo. There was a problem.
[0006]
Therefore, in the present invention, on the thumbnail list screen, the change of the display form of the thumbnail and the additional information (characters and marks) are used together to print, print-in-progress, print-completed photo, and print-scheduled photo. And a photo printing device and a photo printing device that display the number of copies printed, the number of copies completed, and the number of remaining copies in the thumbnail of each photo to assist in easily imaging the progress of photo printing. An object of the present invention is to provide a display control method of a device.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a photo printing apparatus which designates a photo to be printed on a thumbnail list screen displayed on a display unit and selectively prints the photo to be printed. Monitoring means for monitoring the completion of printing of the photo to be printed specified by using the image processing apparatus, and corresponding to the photo to be printed specified on the display unit according to the completion of printing of the photo to be printed monitored by the monitoring means. And a thumbnail display control means for changing a thumbnail display mode.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail display control means highlights a thumbnail corresponding to the photograph to be printed designated by using the thumbnail, and prints the image monitored by the monitoring means. It is characterized in that the mode of highlighting is changed according to the completion of printing of the target photograph.
[0009]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail display control means hides the thumbnails other than the thumbnail corresponding to the print target photograph specified using the thumbnail. .
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail display control means displays a thumbnail corresponding to a photo other than the photo to be printed specified by using the thumbnail in gray scale, and displays the thumbnail as a print target. It is characterized in that a thumbnail of a photo is displayed in color.
[0011]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the thumbnail display control means rearranges and displays only the thumbnails of the photos to be printed in accordance with the designation of the photos to be printed using the thumbnails. It is characterized by the following.
[0012]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the thumbnail display control means displays the thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed in a highlighted color, and displays the thumbnails corresponding to the printed and unprinted photos in a non-printed color. It is characterized by being displayed in a highlighted color.
[0013]
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the thumbnail display control means highlights a thumbnail frame corresponding to the photograph being printed.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the thumbnail display control means displays a mark indicating that the thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed is being printed at least in part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail. It is characterized by.
[0014]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail display control means hides a thumbnail corresponding to the photograph whose printing has been completed.
[0015]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail display control means determines the number of copies to be printed and the number of unprinted copies of the print target photograph by at least a part of the thumbnail or the vicinity of the thumbnail by text or image. Is displayed.
[0016]
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a photo printing apparatus for designating a photo to be printed on a thumbnail list screen displayed on a display unit and selectively printing the photo to be printed, wherein the thumbnail is used. Monitoring the completion of printing of the specified print target photo, and changing the display mode of the thumbnail corresponding to the specified print target photo on the display unit according to the print completion of the print target photo by the monitoring. And
[0017]
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the thumbnail corresponding to the print target photo specified by using the thumbnail is highlighted, and the highlight display is performed in accordance with the completion of the printing of the print target photo. It is characterized in that the mode is changed.
A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, thumbnails other than the thumbnail corresponding to the photograph to be printed specified using the thumbnail are hidden.
[0018]
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eleventh aspect, thumbnails corresponding to photographs other than the print target photograph designated using the thumbnails are displayed in gray scale, and the thumbnails of the print target photographs are colored. It is characterized by displaying.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the eleventh aspect of the present invention, only the thumbnail of the photo to be printed is rearranged and displayed according to the designation of the photo to be printed using the thumbnail.
[0019]
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eleventh aspect, thumbnails corresponding to the photo being printed are displayed in an emphasized color, and thumbnails corresponding to the printed and unprinted photos are displayed in a non-emphasized color. It is characterized by.
[0020]
The invention of claim 17 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 11, a frame of a thumbnail corresponding to the photograph being printed is highlighted.
[0021]
An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the invention of the eleventh aspect, a mark indicating that printing is in progress is displayed on at least a part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail on the thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed.
[0022]
A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, a thumbnail corresponding to a photograph whose printing has been completed is hidden.
[0023]
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eleventh aspect, the number of copies to be printed and the number of unprinted copies of the photograph to be printed are displayed as characters or images in at least a part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail. And
[0024]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments and some modifications of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0025]
First, each component of the photo printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described.
[0026]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a photo printing device according to the present invention.
[0027]
The photo printing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes an operation / display unit 1 operated by a user 13, a PC 6, a media reader 2, and a PC 6.
[0028]
Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the photo printing apparatus instructs the entire configuration including the operation / display unit 1, the PC 6, the media reader 2, and the PC 6.
[0029]
The media 3 is a digital camera image such as DCF (Design rule for Camera File System) or Exif (Exchangeable Image File Format) in which the additional information including the image data of the photograph taken by the user 13 with a digital camera or the like and the thumbnail image. This is a storage medium recorded according to a file format.
[0030]
The media reader 2 is a device that reads data including a photographic image in the medium 3 mounted by the user 13 and outputs the read data to the PC 6.
[0031]
The operation / display unit 1 is a user interface for displaying photos read from the medium 3 as thumbnails, and for selecting and selecting the photos to be printed by the user 13 and inputting the number of copies to confirm.
[0032]
The operation / display unit 1 displays a screen (hereinafter, referred to as a “thumbnail list screen”) in which thumbnails of photos read from the displayed medium are displayed in a predetermined arrangement, and the user 13 displays the thumbnails. The user selects a print photo while referring to the photo, and designates the number of prints to print.
[0033]
The printer 5 is a device that performs image processing necessary for photo printing based on photo print data processed by the PC 6 and prints a photo of a size desired by the user 13.
[0034]
The PC 6 is connected to the operation / display unit 1, the media reader 2, and the printer 5 to control data input / output between the devices, as well as an in-media data analysis unit 7, a display data creation unit 8, an operation information analysis unit. 9, an image processing unit 10, a control unit 11, a print data creation unit 12, a storage unit 14, and a printer monitoring unit 15, and perform various controls necessary for photo printing.
[0035]
The control unit 11 controls all the control blocks in the PC 6 and peripheral connection devices such as the operation / display unit 1, the media reader 2, and the printer 5.
[0036]
The storage unit 14 includes photographic image data read from the medium 3, thumbnail list information 20 including thumbnail image data and identification information thereof, screen display information 30 for managing thumbnails displayed on the operation / display unit 1, and designation by the user 13. And print designation information 40 for managing information on the received photo print.
[0037]
The in-media data analysis unit 7 receives the data in the medium 3 read by the media reader 2 and extracts the photo image data, the thumbnail image data of the photo, and the additional information based on a format for recording the photo image. Do.
[0038]
The display data creating unit 8 creates screen display data based on information on a screen layout displayed on the operation / display unit 1 and a thumbnail image of a photo read from the medium 3 and outputs the data to the operation / display unit 1. I do.
[0039]
The operation information analysis unit 9 detects various operations performed by the user 13 on the operation / display unit 1 and outputs the detected operations to the control unit 11.
[0040]
The image processing unit 10 converts, compresses, and decompresses the image data according to the desired file format of the photographic image data and the thumbnail image data.
[0041]
The print data creation unit 12 acquires the photographic image data of the photograph to be printed and the number of copies from the print designation information 40 stored in the storage unit 14, converts the photographic image data into data that can be printed by the printer 5, and sends the data to the printer 5. Output.
[0042]
The printer monitoring unit 15 monitors the status of photo printing processed by the printer 5 and notifies the control unit 11 of the monitoring result.
[0043]
The operation / display unit 1, the media reader 2, the PC 6, and the printer 5 may be set as a single photo printing device in a housing, and the image printing device according to the present invention may be configured as shown in FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
[0044]
Further, the operation / display unit 1 may have a device configuration in which the display unit and the operation unit are separate devices.
[0045]
Also, an interface for connecting to an external device (such as a digital camera) other than the media 3 for storing photo image data and thumbnail image data is added, and a digital photo image stored in the external device is received by data communication and printed. It is also possible to adopt such a configuration.
[0046]
Next, each item stored in the thumbnail list information 20, the print designation information 40, and the screen display information 30 stored in the storage unit 14 will be described.
[0047]
FIG. 2 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in the thumbnail list information 20 and their contents.
[0048]
The thumbnail list information 20 is information for storing and managing identification information for specifying data, such as a photo image data read from the medium 3 and a file name indicating the thumbnail image data.
[0049]
The creation date 21 is an item that stores a time stamp when the thumbnail list information 20 was created and stored in the storage unit 14.
[0050]
The media information 22 is an item that stores identification information uniquely set by the user 13 for the medium 3.
[0051]
The number of photos 23 stores the number of photo images read from the medium 3 and cut out.
[0052]
For each item from the photo ID (1) 24 to the thumbnail ID (n) 27, an index area for the number stored in the number of photos 23 is secured (in the case of FIG. ), A photo ID (n) 26 and a thumbnail ID (n) 27 are set in each index, and the information about the storage location of the image file related to the photographic image data read from the medium 3 and the thumbnail image data is set according to the read order. The item to be stored.
[0053]
FIG. 3 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in the screen display information 30 and their contents.
[0054]
The screen display information 30 stores and manages a set of identification information of a thumbnail for specifying the thumbnails arranged and displayed on the operation / display unit 1 and an index number of the array indicating the display position of the thumbnail in the array. Information.
[0055]
The array information 31 stores information about the array of the thumbnail list displayed on the operation / display unit 1 (the number of vertical and horizontal thumbnails).
[0056]
The total number of pages 32 stores the number of pages calculated by the total number n of indexes stored in the thumbnail list information 20 of FIG. 2 and the number of thumbnails that can be displayed on one screen obtained by the arrangement information 31. .
[0057]
The displayed page number 33 is an item that stores the page number currently being displayed on the thumbnail list screen and is used by referring to, for example, when performing a page break control.
[0058]
In the following items, the number of thumbnails that can be displayed on one page is 20 based on the contents of the array information 31 in the case of this drawing, so each area from the array index (1) 34 to the array index (20) 38 , And management items such as a thumbnail display 35 and an emphasis frame 36 are provided for each index.
[0059]
Here, the numbering of the array index is incremented according to a predetermined rule (for example, from left to right at the top).
[0060]
The thumbnail display 35 and the highlighting frame 36 are items for managing the display color (color, grayscale, or non-display) of the corresponding thumbnail display area and highlighting frame display area, respectively.
[0061]
FIG. 4 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in the print designation information 40 and their contents.
[0062]
The print designation information 40 is linked to the thumbnail ID managed by the thumbnail list information 20, and stores and manages the thumbnail designated by the user 13 to be printed on the operation / display unit 1 and the number of print copies, and manages the print. This is information for managing the progress of the photo print process by sequentially reflecting the number of copies that have been printed, etc., from immediately after the start until all the print processes are completed.
[0063]
The printing date and time 41 starts from the time stamp when the print designation information 40 is created by the photo printing, and is updated by the time stamp when it is stored in the storage unit 14 after the printing process ends.
[0064]
In the area after the print date 41, a storage area for each index that maximizes the number of photos to be printed is secured, and print photo information (1) 42 in which the thumbnail ID of the photo to be printed is stored; Items in which the number of print designation copies 43 and the number of print completion copies 44 are combined form a set, which is sequentially stored for each index.
[0065]
The index number does not always match the print order of the photos, and the print order can be managed by newly providing another item.
[0066]
Also, in the case of this figure, the items are managed only for the thumbnails of the pictures to be printed. However, all the thumbnails stored in the thumbnail list information 20 shown in FIG. On the other hand, it is also possible to manage the print designation information in a format having information of print target / asymmetric print.
[0067]
Further, the thumbnail list information 20, the screen display information 30, and the print designation information 40 may be deleted from the storage unit 14 after the photo printing is completed. For example, the thumbnail list information 20, the screen display information 30, and the print A common setting item such as a media ID for uniquely specifying the media 3 and a processing date is added to the specification information 40, and the configuration is configured to save after completion of photo printing. At another occasion, the operation may be resumed from the interrupted state, and a plurality of patterns of printing operations for the photographic image recorded on the same medium 3 may be selected and processed.
[0068]
In addition to storing the thumbnail list information 20, the screen display information 30, and the photo print information 40 in the storage unit 14, between the PC 6 and the media reader 2, an external storage medium or an external storage device including the medium 3 is provided. By additionally providing data input / output means for the storage means, the data is stored in the medium 3 and the PC 6 is provided with a connection means for an external device to read / write data from / to the storage means of the external device. A configuration is also possible.
[0069]
Here, the conditions for writing data to the medium 3 and the storage unit of the external device are as follows. A configuration for defining and storing a unique file format is required.
[0070]
Note that the photo printing apparatus of the present invention is configured such that the charging apparatus and its interface are added to the PC 6 or a part of the image processing apparatus when the printing apparatus is installed in a store such as a convenience store and performs charging printing. Although accounting printing can be performed, in the present embodiment, illustration of the configuration and description of the components will be omitted.
[0071]
Next, a layout of a screen displayed on the operation / display unit 1 will be described.
[0072]
FIG. 5 is a screen layout diagram schematically illustrating an example of the operation / display unit 1 for allowing the user 13 to select a print photo and input the number of copies to be printed on the touch panel and main display areas including a layout of a thumbnail list. It is.
[0073]
The thumbnail list screen displayed on the operation / display section 1 is roughly divided into a thumbnail list display area 50 for displaying thumbnails of photos according to a predetermined arrangement, and other operation button display areas.
[0074]
Further, the thumbnail list display area 50 includes an emphasis frame display area 51 mainly indicating selection / non-selection of thumbnail images, a thumbnail display area 53 displaying thumbnail images read from the medium 3, and a print designated by the user 13. The number of copies and the number-of-prints display area 52 for displaying the number of completed copies or the number of remaining prints in real time during printing are set as a set, and are displayed for each photograph based on a predefined arrangement.
[0075]
Next, an operation procedure in the photo printing apparatus up to the start of the photo printing process will be described.
[0076]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the photo printing apparatus before selecting a photo to be printed and inputting the number of copies to make a print request before starting photo printing.
[0077]
The user 13 sets the medium 3 on which a digital photograph and its thumbnail image are recorded in the media reader 2 (step S101).
[0078]
The control unit 11 of the PC 6 detects that the medium 3 has been set in the media reader 2 and instructs the media reader 2 to read the medium 3.
[0079]
The media reader 2 outputs the read data of the medium 3 to the in-media data analysis unit 7.
[0080]
The in-media data analysis unit 7 extracts photo image data and photo thumbnail image data from the received data, and cooperates with the image processing unit 10 to appropriately convert the image format and convert the file into photo image data and thumbnails. The image data is stored in the storage unit 14, and the photo data, the thumbnail ID, and the file name are set in the corresponding items of the thumbnail list information 20 in the storage unit 14 to associate the photo data with the thumbnail image data, and the display data is displayed. A request to output a thumbnail list screen is made to the creating unit 8.
[0081]
The display data creation unit 8 acquires definition information regarding the layout of the thumbnail list screen to be output to the operation / display unit 1 from the storage unit 14 and displays the thumbnail list screen 20 with reference to the thumbnail list information 20 created by the in-media data analysis unit 7. The application data is created and output to the operation / display unit 1 (step S102).
[0082]
Similarly, the display data creation unit 8 sets information related to the display position of the currently displayed thumbnail that has been requested to be output to the screen display information 30 shown in FIG. 3 and stores it in the storage unit 14 ( Step S103).
[0083]
The user 13 selects a thumbnail of a photo desired to be printed from the thumbnails displayed on the thumbnail list screen of the operation / display unit 1 by a cursor key for selection or by directly touching the display area of the displayed thumbnail. An operation is performed to specify the number of copies to be printed for each thumbnail (step S104).
[0084]
When the display of the thumbnail list screen extends to a plurality of pages (NO in step S105), the user 13 selects the photo after the page break operation, inputs the number of copies, and cancels the selection until all the photo selections are completed. Repeat.
[0085]
When all of the selection of photos required for printing and the input of the number of copies to be printed are completed (YES in step S105), the user 13 issues a request for fixing a photo to be printed and starting printing by operating the buttons on the operation / display unit 1. An instruction is given (step S106).
[0086]
Here, for example, when the user 13 selects a thumbnail of a desired photograph, the display form of the thumbnail list screen is changed as in a screen image 70 shown in FIG.
[0087]
The thumbnail list screen in FIG. 7 shows that the highlighted frame display area 73 (the hatched portion in the figure) of the selected thumbnail is changed to a highlighted color.
[0088]
The designated number of print copies is displayed in the print copy number display area 74 of the selected thumbnail.
[0089]
Returning again to the processing flow of FIG. 6, the operation information analysis unit 9 of the PC 6 determines the identification information of the print target thumbnail selected by the user 13 on the thumbnail list screen displayed on the operation / display unit 1 and the number of print copies. Are acquired, the acquired print designation result is reflected in the screen display information 30 and the print designation information 40, and is stored in the storage unit 14, and a request to start a photo print process is output to the print data creation unit 12 (step S107).
[0090]
Next, a processing procedure after starting printing in the photo printing device will be described.
[0091]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure related to the photo print processing.
[0092]
When the control unit 11 of the PC 6 detects a photo print request from the operation / display unit 1 via the operation information analysis unit 9, the control unit 11 uses the thumbnail list information 20 and the print designation information 40 stored in the storage unit 14. Next, the thumbnail to be printed is highlighted, screen display data indicating the designated number of print copies is created for each page (step S201), and output to the operation / display unit 1 (step S202).
[0093]
The printer monitoring unit 15 monitors the printing status of the photo 4 printed by the printer 5 (identification information of the photo being printed and counting of the number of prints, etc.), and prints the monitoring result to the display data creation unit 8 for photo printing. Notification is continued until is completed.
[0094]
The display data creation unit 8 creates data for highlighting the thumbnail corresponding to the photo currently being printed by the printer 5 based on the monitoring results sequentially notified from the printer monitoring unit 15 and sends the data to the operation / display unit 1. Output (Step S203).
[0095]
The printer 5 performs image processing for photo printing on the photo print data output from the print data creation unit 12, and executes photo printing one by one (step S205).
[0096]
If a plurality of print copies are specified and a photo having the remaining number of print copies is being printed (YES in step S206), the display data creation unit 8 notifies the printer monitor 15 of the completion of printing for each page. At the timing of receiving the notification, update data of the print copy number display area is created and output to the operation / display unit 1, and the number of print completion copies stored in the screen display information 30 is counted up and updated (step S204). .
[0097]
When the printing of the specified number of photos has been completed (NO in step S206), display / display data for highlighting that printing has been completed is created for the thumbnail of the printed photo and the operation / display unit 1 And updates the items of the screen display information 30 and the print designation information 40 corresponding to the thumbnail identification information of the printed photo (step S207).
[0098]
If there is an unprinted photo among the thumbnails to be printed displayed on the screen (YES in step S208), display data for switching the thumbnail of the next print photo during printing and highlighting is created, and The process proceeds to the printing process (the processes from step S203 to step S208 are repeatedly performed).
[0099]
If the printing of the photo corresponding to the print target thumbnail displayed in the page has been completely completed (NO in step S208) and the thumbnail of the print target photo remains on the next page (YES in step S209), the display is performed. The data creation unit 8 updates the display information relating to the newly displayed thumbnail, including the displayed page number 33 of the screen display information 30, for each index, and subsequently repeats the processing from step S201 to step S209. Perform photo printing.
[0100]
Next, display control during photo printing on the thumbnail list screen shown in steps S202, S203, S204, and S207 of FIG. 8 will be described with reference to some screen image examples.
[0101]
Here, for convenience of explanation, in each of the screen images described below, the printing order of the photos is performed in ascending order of the four-digit numbers (hereinafter, referred to as “index Nos”) shown in the thumbnail display area. Shall be.
[0102]
The display control during printing on the thumbnail list screen includes “highlighting of the thumbnail of the printing target photo”, “highlighting of the thumbnail of the printing photo”, “highlighting of the thumbnail of the printing completed photo”, and “highlighting of the number of completed printing”. The four types of display control can be classified.
[0103]
Furthermore, by performing these four highlighted displays independently or in combination in accordance with the progress of the photo print process, display control for changing the display mode of the thumbnail list screen is also possible.
[0104]
FIG. 9 is a screen showing “highlighting of thumbnails of print target photos” when user 13 performs a photo selection operation or a print start instruction operation on the thumbnail list screen displayed on operation / display unit 1. FIG. 9 is a screen layout diagram showing screen images showing images and “thumbnail highlighting of a photo being printed”, “thumbnail highlighting of a completed photo”, and “highlighting of the number of completed prints” while a photo is being printed.
[0105]
The screen image 90a shows a state in which the thumbnails with index Nos. 3, 7, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17 have been determined as print targets, and the other thumbnails have been deleted from the screen.
[0106]
Then, after the photo printing is started, the display changes from the screen image 90a to the screen image 90b, and the number of print copies remaining is displayed in the print copy number display area 91b of the thumbnails of the index Nos. 3, 7, and 9 after the printing is completed. Is displayed, and the highlighting frame display area 92b of the thumbnail of the index No. 10 currently being printed is displayed in an emphasized color, and at the same time, the remaining print copy number "02" is displayed in the print copy number display area 93b. Is displayed.
[0107]
Next, a description will be given of a modification of the display control during the printing of the thumbnail list screen during printing of a picture, by showing some screen images.
[0108]
Modifications relating to "highlighting of thumbnails of print target photos" will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0109]
FIG. 10 is a screen image diagram showing screen transitions when narrowing down display is performed after selecting and confirming a thumbnail of a photo to be printed.
[0110]
This figure shows a screen image in which the user 13 selects all the thumbnails of the photos to be printed and confirms the selected thumbnails or performs an operation of starting printing, up to the selected thumbnail 102 on the thumbnail list screen. 100a shows an example in which a transition is made to a screen image 100b in which narrowing-down display is performed using only thumbnails of photos to be printed.
[0111]
FIG. 11 is a screen image diagram showing an example of highlighting by changing the display color of the thumbnail of a photo to be printed.
[0112]
In this figure, the thumbnails of the photos not to be printed (111 in FIG. 11: hatched portions) are displayed in gray scale, and the thumbnails of other photos to be printed (for example, 112 in FIG. 11) are displayed in color. The display image at the time of performing is shown.
[0113]
Next, a modified example regarding “thumbnail highlighting of a photograph during printing” will be described with reference to FIG.
[0114]
FIG. 12 is a screen image diagram showing an example of displaying a mark indicating that printing is being performed in at least a part of the thumbnail display area or an area near the thumbnail display area with respect to the thumbnail of the photo being printed.
[0115]
Since the thumbnails of the indexes Nos. 3, 7, and 9 have already been printed, the highlight frame display area 121, the thumbnail display area 122, and the number of prints display area 123 are displayed in gray scale and simultaneously the number of prints is displayed. In the area 123, “00” is displayed.
[0116]
On the other hand, in the thumbnail of index No. 10 in which the photo is currently being printed, a printing mark 125 is displayed, and the remaining number of print copies “02” is displayed in the number-of-prints display area 126.
[0117]
Further, as for the thumbnails of index Nos. 15, 16, and 17 scheduled to be printed, the number of prints designated by the user is displayed in the print number display area 128, respectively.
[0118]
Next, a modified example regarding “thumbnail highlighting of a print completed photo” will be described with reference to FIG.
[0119]
FIG. 13 is a screen image diagram showing an example in which thumbnails for which printing has been completed are sequentially deleted from the screen simultaneously with the completion of printing.
[0120]
In the screen image 130 of this figure, the thumbnails of index Nos. 3, 7, and 9 that have already been printed are deleted from the screen (the area indicated by the broken line 131), and the thumbnail of index No. 10 is currently being processed. This schematically shows that the thumbnail 132 during printing is displayed in color.
[0121]
On the other hand, the print-scheduled thumbnails of index Nos. 15, 16, and 17 are 133, which are to be printed and are to be printed.
[0122]
Next, a modified example relating to "highlighting of the number of completed prints" will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0123]
FIG. 14 shows an example of the progress of the photo print processing, in particular, the print status for a photo for which two or more print copies are specified, when the designated number of copies and the number of completed prints are displayed.
[0124]
In each of the thumbnails at index Nos. 3, 7, and 9, since the printing has been completed, the designated copy number and the print completion copy number are displayed in the print copy number display area 141 with the same numerical value.
[0125]
In the thumbnail of index No. 10, “2/3” indicating that two photos have been printed is displayed in the print completion copy number display area 142 while the number of print designations is three. I have.
[0126]
Since the thumbnails of index Nos. 15, 16, and 17 have not been printed yet, the number of print completion copies is displayed as 0 in the print copy number display area 143.
[0127]
FIG. 15 shows an example in which the number of print completed copies and the number of designated print copies are displayed in an image reminiscent of the number of photographs.
[0128]
In the thumbnails of index Nos. 10 and 16, the designated number of copies or the remaining number of copies is represented by overlapping of the number-of-photos image emphasis frame.
[0129]
In the thumbnail of index No. 10 which is currently being printed, the number of overlaps of the number-of-photos image enhancement frame (152) decreases by one each time one photo is printed, and when the printing of the specified number of copies is completed, As in the case of index Nos. 3, 7, and 9, the overlapping of the number-of-photos image enhancement frames is eliminated (151), and the entire thumbnail (the hatched portion of 151) is displayed in gray scale.
[0130]
Further, among the index Nos. 15, 16, and 17 scheduled to be printed, the thumbnail of index No. 16 in particular has two designated copies, so an image (153) in which the number-of-photos image emphasizing frames overlap is displayed.
[0131]
When the display pattern shown in FIG. 15 is performed, display image data of the number-of-photos image enhancement frame is stored in the storage unit (14 in FIG. 1), and the display data creation unit 8 stores the print designation information 40, the printer A configuration is required in which display control is performed on thumbnails being printed in conjunction with the number of print completion copies notified from the monitoring unit 15.
[0132]
It is to be noted that this is only a part of a modification example of the display control during photo printing, and if the progress of the photo printing can be easily imagined, the display control may be appropriately combined with each other in addition to the above display control. It is possible.
[0133]
【The invention's effect】
It is possible for the user to imagine the situation in which photographs are completed one by one, and it is possible to reduce the user's intuitive waiting time that occurs during the printing process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a photo printing device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in thumbnail list information and their contents.
FIG. 3 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in screen display information and their contents.
FIG. 4 is a format diagram showing an example of data items stored and managed in print designation information and their contents.
FIG. 5 is a screen layout diagram schematically illustrating an example of an operation / display unit for a user to select a print photo and input the number of copies, and main display areas including a layout of a thumbnail list screen.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for selecting a photo to be printed and inputting the number of copies before issuing a print request before starting photo printing in the photo printing apparatus.
FIG. 7 is a screen layout diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail list screen displayed on a display unit of the photo printing device.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure relating to a photo printing process.
FIG. 9 shows a screen image indicating “highlighting of thumbnails of photos to be printed” when a user performs a finalizing operation after selecting a photo or an instruction operation to start printing, and a message “printing in progress” during photo printing. FIG. 7 is a screen layout diagram showing screen images showing “photo thumbnail emphasis display”, “print completed photo thumbnail emphasis”, and “print completed copy number emphasis display”.
FIG. 10 is a screen image diagram showing a screen transition when narrowing down display is performed after selecting and confirming a thumbnail of a photo to be printed on the thumbnail list screen.
FIG. 11 is a screen image diagram showing screen transition when a thumbnail of a photo to be printed is displayed in a highlighted color on the thumbnail list screen.
FIG. 12 is a screen image diagram showing an example of displaying a mark indicating that printing is being performed in at least a part of a thumbnail display area or an area near the thumbnail display area for a thumbnail of a photo to be printed on the thumbnail list screen. .
FIG. 13 is a screen image diagram showing an example in which thumbnails for which printing has been completed are sequentially deleted from the screen simultaneously with the completion of printing on the thumbnail list screen.
FIG. 14 is a screen image diagram showing an example of a progress status of a photo print process on the thumbnail list screen, in particular, a print status relating to a photo for which a plurality of print copies are specified, when a designated copy number and a print completion copy number are displayed. .
FIG. 15 is a screen image diagram showing an example in which the number of completed prints and the number of designated prints are displayed in a thumbnail number screen in a photo number image highlighting frame reminiscent of the number of photos.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Operation / display section
2 Media reader
3 media
4 Photos
5 Printer
6 PC
7 Data analysis part in media
8 Display data creation unit
9 Operation information analysis unit
10 Image processing unit
11 Control part
12 Print data creation unit
13 users
14 Storage unit
15 Printer monitoring unit
20 Thumbnail list information
21 Creation date
22 Media Information
23 Number of Photos
24 Photo ID (1)
25 Thumbnail ID (1)
27 Thumbnail ID (n)
30 Screen display information
31 Sequence information
32 total pages
33 Page number being displayed
34 Array index (1)
35 Thumbnail display
36 array index
40 Print designation information
41 Print date and time
42 Printed Photo Information (1)
43 Number of print copies (1)
44 Copies completed (1)
50 Thumbnail list screen display area
51, 92b, 121 Highlighted frame display area
53, 122 Thumbnail display area
52, 74, 91b, 93a, 93b, 123, 126, 128, 141, 143 Number of print copies display area
70, 90a, 90b, 100a, 100b, 130 Screen image
125 Printing mark
131 Thumbnail of print completion
132 Thumbnail during printing
133 Thumbnail to be printed
151, 152, 153 Photo frame image highlighting frame

Claims (20)

In a photo printing device that specifies a photo to be printed on a thumbnail list screen displayed on a display unit and selectively prints the photo to be printed,
Monitoring means for monitoring the completion of printing of the print target photograph specified using the thumbnail;
Thumbnail display control means for changing a display mode of a thumbnail corresponding to the print target photo specified on the display unit in accordance with the completion of printing of the print target photo monitored by the monitoring unit. Photo printing device. The thumbnail display control means,
A thumbnail corresponding to the designated print target photo is highlighted using the thumbnail, and the mode of the highlight display is changed according to the completion of printing of the print target photo monitored by the monitoring unit. The photographic printing device according to claim 1. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thumbnails other than the thumbnail corresponding to the photo to be printed specified using the thumbnail are hidden. The thumbnail display control means,
A thumbnail corresponding to a photo other than the photo to be printed specified using the thumbnail is displayed in gray scale,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thumbnail of the photo to be printed is displayed in color. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein only the thumbnails of the photos to be printed are rearranged and displayed according to the designation of the photos to be printed using the thumbnails. The thumbnail display control means,
Displays the thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed in highlighted color,
The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thumbnails corresponding to the printed and unprinted photos are displayed in a non-emphasized color. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thumbnail frame corresponding to the photo being printed is highlighted. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a mark indicating that printing is being performed is displayed on at least a part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail on a thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a thumbnail corresponding to the printed photo is hidden. The thumbnail display control means,
2. The photo printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the number of copies to be printed and the number of unprinted copies of the photo to be printed are displayed as characters or images in at least a part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail. A method for controlling a photo printing apparatus for designating a photo to be printed on a thumbnail list screen displayed on a display unit and selectively printing the photo to be printed,
Monitoring the completion of printing of the specified print target photo using the thumbnail,
A display control method for a photo printing device, wherein a display mode of a thumbnail corresponding to a photo to be printed specified on the display unit is changed according to the completion of printing of the photo to be printed by the monitoring. 12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: highlighting a thumbnail corresponding to the print target photo designated by using the thumbnail, and changing a mode of the highlight display according to completion of printing of the print target photo. Display control method for a photo printing device. 12. The display control method for a photo printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein thumbnails other than the thumbnail corresponding to the photo to be printed specified using the thumbnail are hidden. A thumbnail corresponding to a photo other than the photo to be printed specified using the thumbnail is displayed in gray scale,
The display control method of a photo printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a thumbnail of the photo to be printed is displayed in color. 12. The display control method for a photo printing device according to claim 11, wherein only the thumbnail of the photo to be printed is rearranged and displayed according to designation of the photo to be printed using the thumbnail. Displays the thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed in highlighted color,
The display control method for a photo printing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein thumbnails corresponding to the printed and unprinted photos are displayed in a non-emphasized color. 12. The display control method for a photo printing device according to claim 11, wherein a frame of a thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed is highlighted. 12. The display control method for a photo printing device according to claim 11, wherein a mark indicating that printing is being performed is displayed on a thumbnail corresponding to the photo being printed, at least in part or in the vicinity of the thumbnail. 12. The display control method for a photo printing device according to claim 11, wherein a thumbnail corresponding to the printed photo is hidden. 12. The display control method according to claim 11, wherein the number of print target copies and the number of unprinted copies of the photo to be printed are displayed as characters or images in at least a part of the thumbnail or in the vicinity of the thumbnail. .

Images