JP2005086329A - Printing method, program, and receiver - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that, for providing print services about sponsors, programs, etc. in digital BS broadcasts, associated URLs are shown on the TV screen and the audience needs to print after inputting the URLs by a PC. <P>SOLUTION: A receiver 102 acquires contents to be executed from broadcast waves, and transfers the URL of a printing document contained in the contents to be executed on the receiver 102 to a printer 103 from the receiver 102. The printer 103 acquires the document indicated by the URL via internet and prints the acquired document. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing method, a program, and a receiving apparatus that receives a broadcast wave by performing printing by executing a broadcast wave or content acquired from the Internet.

  In general, when printing with a printer, the following process is performed. 1) When printing is executed by an application on the PC, data is transferred from the application to the printer driver. 2) The printer driver converts the content to be printed into a print command. 3) The printer executes printing commands and actually prints. At this time, since the print control command differs for each printer model, it is necessary to install an appropriate printer driver in the PC. There is also a printer that receives a document such as PostScript (registered trademark), analyzes the document, renders it, generates a printer control command in its own device, and performs printing (Patent Document 1). .

In addition, digital BS broadcasting has started in December 2000, and products that can display and execute data broadcasting called BML on TV receivers have been released. The digital broadcast tuner can access the interactive server by the BASIC procedure. A terrestrial digital tuner to be developed in the future will be equipped with TCP / IP and will be able to access the Internet (for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-304271 A JP 2001-136136 A

  However, conventionally, the TV and the printer are not directly connected, and there is no means for printing directly from the TV program. If a print service is provided by a sponsor or a program, a complicated procedure is required in which the URL is displayed on the TV screen, and the viewer inputs the URL on the PC and then performs printing.

  Also, in broadcast media such as broadcast, the same information is distributed to all viewers. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to display and print high value-added content customized for each viewer as it is.

  Also, since data broadcasting content used in broadcasting requires high reliability, it is common to register with broadcasting equipment several days ago, and it may be updated quickly. There is a problem that it is difficult or time-consuming.

  In order to solve the above problem, the receiver acquires content to be executed from the broadcast wave, and transfers the URL of the print document included in the content executed on the receiver from the receiver to the printer. Then, the printer acquires the document indicated by the URL via the Internet, and prints the acquired document.

  According to the present invention, printing can be performed from a device such as a TV receiver displaying broadcast content or Internet content without using a PC.

  Furthermore, information customized for each user can be printed by dynamically synthesizing the information stored in the receiver and the acquired content.

  In addition, placing print content on the Internet eliminates the need to register the content in advance in the transmission facility, etc., and allows the print content to be updated immediately before the program broadcast, delivering fresh information to the viewer. Be able to.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the present embodiment.

  A broadcasting station 101 performs digital broadcasting. Reference numeral 102 denotes a digital broadcast receiver that outputs video / audio and executes broadcasted BML content. Reference numeral 103 denotes a printer. Reference numeral 104 denotes a Web server existing on the Internet, which holds print content.

  In this mode, the receiver 102 acquires content to be executed from the broadcast wave, and transfers the URL of the print document included in the content executed on the receiver from the receiver 102 to the printer 103. A printing method in which the printer 103 acquires the document indicated by the URL via the Internet and prints the acquired document will be described below.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of the digital broadcast receiver 102.

  A tuner 201 extracts a signal having a specific wavelength from the received radio wave. A decoder 202 extracts a packet from the extracted signal. Reference numeral 203 denotes an audio decoder, which outputs audio by receiving audio packets. Reference numeral 204 denotes a video decoder, which outputs video by receiving video packets. Reference numeral 205 denotes a data decoder, which reconstructs data broadcast contents by receiving data packets. A non-volatile RAM 207 records family information such as address, postal code, and telephone number, and personal information of the viewer such as name, date of birth, and sex.

  A network I / F 208 transmits and receives data to and from the printer. Reference numeral 209 denotes an Internet I / F, which transmits and receives data to and from the Internet. Depending on the implementation, 209 and 208 may be implemented by the same hardware. Reference numeral 210 denotes a RAM, which is used as a temporary work area for browser execution and the like. A ROM 211 stores a program necessary for the receiver to operate. A browser program executed on the receiver is also stored here. A CPU 212 centrally manages the components 201 to 211 and controls the overall operation.

  Reference numeral 213 denotes a remote control receiving unit that receives a signal sent from the remote control. The constituent elements 201 to 213 are connected by a bus.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the printer 103.

  Reference numeral 300 denotes a network I / F, which transmits and receives data to and from externally connected devices. A document analysis parser 301 analyzes the structure of a print document. A rasterizer 302 draws the analyzed document on the memory as a raster image. A device driver 303 generates and executes a command for driving the printer from the analysis result and the raster image. Printing is actually performed by executing the printer driving command.

  A RAM 304 is used as a work area by a program that runs on the printer. Reference numeral 305 denotes a ROM that stores a program to be driven on the printer. A CPU 306 controls the operation of the entire printer.

  Reference numeral 307 denotes an Internet I / F, which acquires necessary files from the Internet. Depending on the implementation, the same hardware device as the network I / F is shared.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the digital broadcast receiver 102.

  In step 400, the tuner 201 receives and demodulates radio waves. In step 401, the decoder 202 extracts a packet from the demodulated signal. In step 402, it is determined whether or not the extracted packet is a video packet. If it is a video packet, the video is decoded and output in step 403. Otherwise, go to step 404. In step 404, it is determined whether or not the extracted packet is a voice packet. If it is a voice packet, the voice is decoded and output in step 405. Otherwise, go to step 406.

  In step 406, it is determined whether or not the extracted packet is a data packet including data constituting a data broadcast such as BML or JPEG. If it is a data packet, the content for data broadcasting is reconstructed in step 407 and temporarily stored in the RAM 210. The accumulated content is displayed and executed by the BML browser. Otherwise, go to step 408.

  In step 408, there is information (auto start flag) for the viewer to press the data broadcast start button (data button) on the remote control or forcibly start the BML browser in the signal transmitted from the broadcast station. Check whether there is a trigger to start the BML browser, such as detecting. If a trigger has occurred, the BML browser is activated in step 409. The BML browser is stored in the form of a program on the ROM. The program executed by the BML browser is the BML content acquired in step 407. The operation of the activated BML browser will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen display state on the TV in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, for the video area portion, the video is output as the processing result in step 403. Further, backgrounds, buttons, and the like around the video are displayed as a result of the BML browser executing the BML content accumulated in step 407.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the BML browser in the present embodiment.

  Since the processing content of the BML browser changes depending on the content to be executed, this flowchart will explain the part related to printing.

  In step 500, initial processing is performed. If the BML content is already stored in the RAM 210, the execution is started immediately. If the reception has not been completed yet, it waits for the reception of the BML content and starts executing after the reception is completed.

  For BML content, the content is operated using a remote controller. First, how the focus movement operation is performed will be described. When the arrow button on the remote control is pressed, the focus moves, but the description is made in BML content.

  The description of BML corresponding to the three buttons on the screen shown in FIG. 6 is as follows.

<object data = '' weather.png '' onclick = '' printWeather (); ''
style = '' nav-index: 0; nav-down: 1; nav-up: 2; '' type = '' image / png ''/>
<object data = '' news.png '' onclick = '' printNews (); ''
style = '' nav-index: 1; nav-down: 2; nav-up: 0; '' type = '' image / png ''/>
<object data = '' cooking.png '' onfocus = '' printCooking (); ''
style = '' nav-index: 2; nav-down: 0; nav-up: 1; '' type = '' image / png ''/>
In BML, focus movement is designated by the nav-index attribute.

  In the initial state, since the object of nav-index = 0 is in the focus state, the uppermost button (weather) is focused. When the down arrow button of the remote control is pressed in this state, the focus moves to the transition destination specified by the nav-down attribute. In this case, since it is described that nav-down = 1, the focus moves to the object of nav-index = 1, that is, the object of the news button.

  When the news is in focus and the up arrow button is pressed, since the nav-up: 0 is described in the news button object, the focus moves to the object of nav-index = 0, that is, the weather button. When the determination button is pressed, an event handler indicated by onclick is executed.

  In step 501, an event such as a viewer's remote control operation or a timer is waited. If an event is detected, the process proceeds to step 502. For example, a description will be given of an example in which the determination button of the remote controller is pressed while the “weather” button is focused in Fig. 6. In this case, since an event is detected in step 501, step 502 is performed. Control is transferred to.

In step 502, an event handler specified in the BML content is executed according to the type of event. In this embodiment, the following function defined in the BML content is executed by pressing the determination button on the remote controller.
function printWeather () {
var url = `` http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html ''
browser.print (url);
}
If the focus is on the news button and the enter button is pressed
function printNews () {
var url = `` http://www.news.co.jp/headline.html ''
browser.print (url);
}
The function is executed.

  Processing in the event handler is executed sequentially. The processing in the event handler will be described from step 503 onward.

  In step 503, an instruction to be executed next is acquired step by step, and it is determined whether or not the instruction is a printing process. If the instruction is a printing instruction, the process proceeds to step 504. If it is not print processing, the process proceeds to step 506. In this case, '' browser. This corresponds to determining whether the print () ″ function is being executed.

  In step 504, the receiver 102 checks whether printing is possible. That is, it is investigated whether the printer 103 is connected. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step 505. If printing is not possible, a warning message such as “cannot print” is displayed as necessary, and the process proceeds to step 507.

  In step 505, the URL specified by the argument of the print command is transferred to the printer. In this example, the character string “http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html” is transferred to the printer, and then the process proceeds to step 507. If the news button is in focus, it is determined. If the button is pressed, “http: // www. news. co. jp / headline. The character string “html” is transferred to the printer. In step 506, an instruction other than print processing is executed, and the flow advances to step 507.

  In step 507, it is determined whether all event handler processes have been completed. When all the processes are completed, the process returns to step 501.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the printer 103 in the present embodiment.

  In step 801, initial processing is performed. In step 802, an input from an externally connected device connected via the network I / F 300 is awaited. In step 803, it is determined whether or not the input from the externally connected device is reception of a print URL. If the print URL is received, the process returns to step 804. Otherwise, the process returns to step 802.

  In step 804, the document specified by the URL is acquired from the Internet using the I / F 307 for the Internet. In step 805, the document analysis parser 301 is used to analyze the acquired document. In step 806, if there is a file such as an image referenced from the document as a result of analyzing the document, the file is acquired using the Internet I / F 307.

  In step 807, the rasterizer 302 is used to perform rendering processing so as to construct a print image from the acquired file. In step 808, the device driver 303 is used to actually perform the printing process. Thereafter, the process returns to step 802.

By operating as described above, the BML content broadcast by the broadcasting station is executed by the BML browser on the receiver 102, whereby the URL indicating the print document is transferred from the receiver 102 to the printer 103, and the printer 102 A print document indicated by the URL is acquired from the Internet, and processing necessary for printing such as document analysis and rendering is performed and printing is performed.

  That is, the operation is performed so that the weather forecast is printed when the weather forecast button is pressed, and the news is printed when the news button is pressed.

  In this embodiment, a procedure for printing print contents customized for each viewer will be described. The receiver 102 and the printer 103 have the same means and the same operation procedure as those in the above embodiment (FIGS. 2, 3A, 4, 6, and 7).

  The operation procedure of the BML content in this embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In step 600, initial processing is performed after receiving the BML content.

  In step 601, an event such as a remote control operation of a viewer or a timer is waited for. If an event is detected, the process proceeds to step 602. For example, a description will be given by taking as an example a state where the determination button of the remote controller is pressed while the “weather” button is focused in Fig. 6. In this case, since an event is detected in step 601, step 602 is performed. Control is transferred to.

  In step 602, an event handler specified in the BML content is executed according to the type of event. In this embodiment, the following function defined in the BML content is executed by pressing the enter button on the remote controller.

function printCustomWeather () {
var url = `` http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html&zipcode= ''
var zip = browser.readPersistentArray ('' nvram: // zipcode '');
browser.print (url + zip [0]);
}
Processing in the event handler is executed sequentially. Processing in the event handler will be described from step 603 onward.

  In step 603, the next command to be executed is acquired step by step, and it is determined whether or not the command is a printing process. If the command is a command for printing, the process proceeds to step 604. If it is not print processing, the process proceeds to step 608. In this case, '' browser. This corresponds to determining whether the print () ″ function is being executed.

  In step 604, the receiver 102 checks whether printing is possible. That is, it is investigated whether the printer 103 is connected. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step 605. If printing is not possible, a warning message such as “cannot print” is displayed as necessary, and the process proceeds to step 609.

  In step 605, personal information recorded in the nonvolatile RAM 207 is acquired. For example, it is assumed that information such as a viewer's zip code has been acquired. In step 606, a URL is dynamically generated from the information acquired in step 605 and information included in the BML content.

  For example, the zip code acquired from the nonvolatile RAM 207 is “150-0001”, and the information included in the BML content is “http: // www. weather-news. co. jp / weather? When zipcode = '', the URL of “http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather?zipcode=150-0001” is obtained by concatenating these two character strings. In step 607, the URL created in step 606 is transferred to the printer 103.

  In step 608, an instruction other than print processing is executed, and the process proceeds to step 609. In step 609, it is determined whether all event handler processing has been completed. When all the processes are completed, the process returns to step 601.

  The printer 103 operates according to the flow shown in FIG. 7, thereby printing the page indicated by the URL. From the viewer's point of view, the weather print button is simply pressed, but the weather forecast information corresponding to the address where the viewer lives is printed.

In the server 104 indicated by this URL, CGI is operating, and ''? '' A program with the character string after it as a parameter is executed. Therefore, a weather forecast page corresponding to each zip code is returned. That is, it is possible to print content with customized contents according to the information recorded in the nonvolatile RAM 207 in the receiver. In the present embodiment, an example of a page including the weather corresponding to the area from the zip code is presented, but the following uses are also conceivable.
-Get the date of birth from non-volatile RAM and print a horoscope page.
• Obtain a zip code from non-volatile RAM and print a catalog introducing nearby sales agents.
-Get the name from the non-volatile RAM and print a page for first name surname judgment.
-Obtain the number of family members from the non-volatile RAM and print a recipe that automatically calculates the amount corresponding to the number of family members.

  FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the overall configuration of this embodiment.

Compared to the form of FIG.
The TV receiver 102 acquires actual data for printing from the Internet. The TV receiver 102 transfers the acquired actual data to the printer 105. Therefore, the printer does not necessarily need to be connected to the Internet. Different.

  In this configuration, the receiver 102 acquires the content to be executed from the broadcast wave, and the receiver 102 acquires the print document from the URL of the print document included in the content executed on the receiver. A printing method in which the acquired document is transferred to the printer 105 and the printer 105 prints the document transferred from the receiver 102 will be described below.

  The receiver 102 having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 prints from a content acquisition unit (201) that acquires content to be executed from a broadcast wave, and a URL of a print document included in the content executed on the receiver. This is a receiving apparatus having a document acquisition means (209) for acquiring a document for use and a transfer means (208) for transferring the acquired document to a printer.

  The internal configuration of the printer 105 is shown in FIG. Compared with FIG. 3A, there is no Internet I / F 307.

  The receiver 102 has the same means and the same operation procedure (FIGS. 2, 4, and 6) as in the above embodiment.

  The operation procedure of the BML browser will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step 700, initial processing is performed after receiving the BML content. In step 701, an event such as a viewer's remote control operation or a timer is waited. If the occurrence of an event is detected, the process proceeds to step 702.

  In step 701, an event such as a viewer's remote control operation or a timer is waited. If an event is detected, the process proceeds to step 702. For example, a description will be given of an example in which the determination button on the remote controller is pressed while the “weather” button is focused in Fig. 6. In this case, since an event is detected in step 701, step 702 is performed. Control is transferred to.

  In step 702, an event handler specified in the BML content is executed according to the type of event. In this example, the following function defined in the BML content is executed by pressing the enter button on the remote controller.

function fetchPrintWeather () {
var url = `` http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html ''
var doc = browser.fetchDocument (url);
browser.print (doc);
}
If the focus is on the news button and the enter button is pressed
function fetchPrintNews () {
var url = `` http://www.news.co.jp/headline.html ''
var doc = browser.fetchDocument (url);
browser.print (doc);
}
The function is executed. Processing in the event handler is executed sequentially. Processing in the event handler will be described from step 703 onward.

  In step 703, the next command to be executed is acquired step by step, and it is determined whether or not the command is a printing process. If the command is a command for printing, the process proceeds to step 704. If it is not print processing, the process proceeds to step 707. In this case, '' browser. This corresponds to determining whether the print () ″ function is being executed.

  In step 704, the receiver 102 checks whether printing is possible. That is, it is checked whether the printer 105 is connected. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step 705. If printing is not possible, a warning display such as “printing is not possible” is performed as necessary, and the process proceeds to step 708.

  In step 705, the receiver 102 uses the Internet I / F 209 to obtain a document from the URL specified by the argument of the print command. In the case of this example, a document indicated by the URL “http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html” is acquired from the Internet.Image files referenced from the acquired document are also included. Acquired and temporarily stored in the RAM 210. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 706.

  In step 706, the acquired document is transmitted to the printer 105, and the process proceeds to step 708. In step 707, an instruction other than print processing is executed, and the flow advances to step 708. In step 708, it is determined whether all the event handler processes have been completed. When all the processes are completed, the process returns to step 701.

  In FIG. 9, the receiver acquires a print document from the URL of the print document included in the content acquired from the broadcast wave (step 705), and transfers the acquired document to the printer (step 706). It is a program.

  The operation procedure of the printer 105 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step 901, initial processing is performed. In step 902, input from an external device is awaited. In step 903, it is determined whether or not the input from the externally connected device is reception of a print document. If a print document has been received, the process returns to step 904; otherwise, the process returns to step 902.

  In step 904, the document analysis parser 301 is used to analyze the acquired document. In step 905, the rasterizer 302 is used to perform a rendering process so as to construct a print image from the acquired file. In step 906, the device driver 303 is used to actually perform the printing process. Thereafter, the process returns to step 902.

By operating as above,
-By executing the BML content broadcasted by the broadcast station on the BML browser on the receiver 102,
The receiver 102 acquires the print document indicated by the URL using the Internet access I / F 209,
The acquired document is transferred to the printer 105 via the network I / F 208,
The printer 105 operates according to a procedure in which printing is performed by performing processing necessary for printing such as document analysis and rendering.

  In this embodiment, a procedure for printing print contents customized for each viewer will be described. The receiver 102 and the printer 105 have the same means and the same operation procedure as those in the second embodiment (FIGS. 2, 3B, 4, 6, and 10).

  The operation procedure of the BML content in this embodiment is shown in the flowchart of FIG. This flowchart is obtained by adding step 709 and step 710 to those in FIG.

  In step 700, initial processing is performed after receiving the BML content. In step 701, an event such as a viewer's remote control operation or a timer is waited. If an event is detected, the process proceeds to step 702. For example, a description will be given of an example in which the determination button on the remote controller is pressed while the “weather” button is focused in Fig. 6. In this case, since an event is detected in step 701, step 702 is performed. Control is transferred to.

  In step 702, an event handler specified in the BML content is executed according to the type of event. In this example, the following function defined in the BML content is executed by pressing the enter button on the remote controller.

function fetchPrintCustomWeather () {
var url = `` http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html&zipcode= ''
var zip = browser.readPersistentArray ('' nvram: // zipcode '');
var doc = browser.fetchDocument (url + zip [0]);
browser.print (doc);
}
Processing in the event handler is executed sequentially. Processing in the event handler will be described from step 703 onward.

  In step 703, the next command to be executed is acquired step by step, and it is determined whether or not the command is a printing process. If the command is a command for printing, the process proceeds to step 704. If it is not print processing, the process proceeds to step 707. In this example, “browser. This corresponds to determining whether the print () ″ function is being executed.

  In step 704, the receiver 102 checks whether printing is possible. That is, it is investigated whether the printer 103 is connected. If printing is possible, the process proceeds to step 709. If printing is not possible, a warning display such as “cannot print” is displayed as necessary, and the process proceeds to step 708.

  In step 709, the personal information recorded in the nonvolatile RAM 207 is acquired. For example, it is assumed that information such as a viewer's zip code has been acquired.

  In step 710, a URL is dynamically generated from the information acquired in step 709 and information included in the BML content.

  For example, the zip code acquired from the nonvolatile RAM 207 is “150-0001”, and the information included in the BML content is “http: // www. weather-news. co. jp / weather? When zipcode = '', the URL of “http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather?zipcode=150-0001” is obtained by concatenating these two character strings.

  In step 705, the receiver 102 acquires a document from the URL generated in step 710 using the Internet I / F 209. In the case of this example, a document indicated by a URL “http://www.weather-news.co.jp/weather.html?zipcode=150-0001” is acquired from the Internet. An image file or the like is also acquired and temporarily stored in the RAM 210. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 706. In step 706, the acquired document is transmitted to the printer 105, and the process proceeds to step 708.

  In step 707, an instruction other than print processing is executed, and the flow advances to step 708. In step 708, it is determined whether all the event handler processes have been completed. When all the processes are completed, the process returns to step 701.

  By operating in this way, content customized for each viewer can be printed.

It is a figure which shows the whole block diagram of this Embodiment. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a receiver 102. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a printer 103. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the receiver 102. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the browser in the receiver 102 in embodiment. It is an image figure of the image currently displayed on the TV screen in a present Example. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the printer 103 according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a browser in the receiver in the first embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a browser in the receiver in the second embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the printer 103 according to the second and third embodiments. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of a browser in the receiver 102 according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

101 Broadcast Station 102 Digital Broadcast Receiver 103 Printer 104 Web Server

Claims (6)

The receiver acquires the content to be executed from the broadcast wave,
The URL of the document for printing included in the content executed on the receiver is transferred from the receiver to the printer,
A printing method in which a printer acquires a document indicated by the URL via the Internet and prints the acquired document. In claim 1,
The receiver composes the URL from the URL of the document for printing included in the content acquired from the broadcast wave and the user information recorded in advance in the receiver,
Transfer the configured URL from the receiver to the printer,
A printing method in which a printer acquires a document indicated by a transferred URL via the Internet and prints the acquired document. The receiver acquires the content to be executed from the broadcast wave,
The receiver acquires the print document from the URL of the print document included in the content executed on the receiver,
Transfer the acquired document to the printer,
A printing method in which a printer prints a document transferred from a receiver. In claim 3,
The receiver constructs the URL from the URL of the document for printing included in the content acquired from the broadcast wave and the user information recorded in advance in the receiver,
The receiver acquires the print document from the configured URL,
Transfer the acquired document to the printer,
A printing method in which a printer prints a document transferred from a receiver. A print document is acquired from the URL of the print document included in the content acquired from the broadcast wave,
A printing program that transfers the acquired document to a printer. Content acquisition means for acquiring content to be executed from broadcast waves;
Document acquisition means for acquiring a print document from the URL of the print document included in the content executed on the receiver;
A receiving device having transfer means for transferring the acquired document to a printer;

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