JP2006215630A - Print system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a processing load and a storage memory of a portable terminal, in a print system transmitting/receiving data through radio communications between a printer and an imaging device such as an electronic camera, a mobile communication terminal, or a personal information portable device. <P>SOLUTION: The system reduces the processing load and storage memory of the portable terminal by storing data such as URL information, a home page and an image acquired by portable terminal equipment, transmitting it to a PC or a printer by the use of the radio communications, and executing an acquisition of detailed information and print processing by means of the PC or printer. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a wireless communication device that transmits and receives data by wireless communication between an imaging device such as an electronic camera, a mobile communication terminal, a personal information portable device, and a printer, and a printing system using the wireless communication device.

  Conventionally, a communication device such as a mobile phone having a function of connecting to a data communication network (hereinafter referred to as the Internet), a communication device such as a mobile phone with a digital camera incorporating an image pickup device for taking an image, or a function of connecting to the Internet When printing images, documents, etc. from a personal information portable device (hereinafter referred to as PDA) having a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC), the information acquired from the Internet is temporarily stored in the storage memory of the communication device or portable device. ) Individually connected to the cable, send the temporarily stored information to the PC via the cable, execute image processing and document processing on the PC, and print to the printer output device that has an interface with the PC Method and the Internet connection function installed in the communication device or portable device. In general, a report is acquired (hereinafter referred to as download), a printing process is executed on a PC, and then printing is performed on a connected printer.

  However, in this case, in order to print information from a communication device such as a cellular phone or a PDA, the information temporarily stored in the communication device or portable device is sent once to a PC connected to the printer. There is a need. For this purpose, it is necessary to connect the terminal and the PC with a cable such as a USB, and to start an application for reading information from the portable terminal on the PC. In addition, although it is possible to always connect the cable, there is a problem that inconvenience and troublesomeness in use are felt, and the original portability of the portable terminal is impaired. In addition, the size of a memory that can store images and documents is limited due to the nature of a small mobile phone, and there is a problem that it is difficult to store print information acquired from the Internet in the internal memory of a mobile terminal.

  In recent years, the processing speed of microcontrollers (hereinafter referred to as CPU) mounted on communication devices and mobile terminals, or the memory capacity has been increased, the memory capacity has been increased, and a product with a memory card function has also been installed. Has also been commercialized. However, because it is a portable terminal device, it must be small and light, and it is necessary to reduce the power consumption of the device as much as possible to extend the operation time, so there is still a limit to the increase in memory, and There is a limit to improving the processing speed of the CPU, and in order to process information downloaded from the Internet etc. on the communication device or portable device and print it directly on the printer after processing in the communication device or portable device, the processing speed (hereinafter, There was a problem that performance was slow.

  Hereinafter, a conventional example will be described with reference to [Conventional view].

  In Conventional Example 1 of FIG. 6, a PDA 603, which is a personal information portable device having a function of connecting to the Internet, is connected to a notebook PC 601 (hereinafter referred to as a PC) with a predetermined connection cable 605, for example, a USB cable, and output from the PC 601. Similarly, the printer 600 is a general print system configuration for the PC 601 in which the printer 600 is similarly connected by a predetermined connection cable 602, for example, a USB cable. Furthermore, it is necessary to implement dedicated image reading software (not shown) or document reading software (not shown) that operates on the PC 601. Based on the control of dedicated software installed on the PC601, the user can use the internal memory (not shown), which is the storage unit of the PDA603, or the image memory or document of the memory card (not shown) installed in the PDA603. Data is read on the PC 601 and displayed on the display unit 606. At this time, the dedicated software generally has a function of displaying the read information as a reduced image (hereinafter, thumbnail) or a list of documents. As a result, all image data and document lists are displayed. A list is displayed on the display 606 of the PC 601. The user selects desired information from the displayed image or document list, and the desired information is displayed on the printer 600 connected to the PC 601 under the control of the processing software (not shown) on the PC 601. Can be output. Alternatively, by using only the Internet connection function of the communication device and directly reading information from the Internet onto the PC, the shortage of storage memory and the shortage of processing capability of the communication device and the portable device are compensated.

  Similarly, when printing from a communication device 604 such as a mobile phone having a function of connecting to the Internet, a notebook PC 601 (hereinafter, referred to as a USB cable) is connected with a predetermined connection cable 607, for example, as with printing from a PDA. PC 601 and a printer 600 as an output device are similarly connected by a predetermined connection cable 602, for example, a USB cable, and the configuration of a general print system for PC 601. Furthermore, as in the conventional example of connection with the PDA described above, dedicated image reading software (not shown) or document reading software operating on the PC 601 needs to be installed. Based on the control of dedicated software installed in the PC 601, the user can use an internal memory (not shown) as a storage unit of the communication device 604 or a memory card (not shown) installed in the communication device 604. The image memory and document data are read on the PC 601 and displayed on the display unit 606. At this time, the dedicated software generally has a function of displaying a list of reduced images (hereinafter, thumbnails) and information stored in the memory of the communication device, for example, an address book, As a result, all the image data and the address book are displayed as a list on the display 606 of the PC 601. The user selects a desired image or address from the displayed image list or address book, and controls the image processing software (not shown) or document processing software (not shown) on the PC 601. A desired image and address can be output to the printer 600 connected to the PC 601. Alternatively, as with the PDA603 printing system, only the Internet connection function of the mobile device is used, and information from the Internet is read directly onto the PC, resulting in a shortage of storage memory and processing capacity of the communication device and the mobile device. Is supplemented.

As another conventional example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 can be cited.
JP 2003-199031 A JP 2004-234465 A

  In such a conventional printing method, in order to print information such as a communication device such as a mobile phone or a PDA, it is necessary to send the information once to a PC connected to the printer. It is necessary to connect a portable terminal such as a PDA or the like to a PC and to activate an application for reading information from the portable terminal. In addition, although it is possible to always connect these portable terminals to a PC, there is a big problem that inconvenience and troublesomeness in use are felt and the original portability of the portable terminal is impaired. In addition, the size of a memory that can store images and documents is limited due to the nature of a small mobile phone, and it is difficult to store a large amount of print information in the internal memory of the mobile terminal.

  In recent years, the processing speed of microcontrollers (hereinafter referred to as CPU) mounted on communication devices and mobile terminals, or the memory capacity has been increased, the memory capacity has been increased, and products with a memory card function are also available. It is becoming. However, since it is a portable terminal device, it must be small and light, and it must reduce the power consumption of the device as much as possible to extend the operation time. Since there is still a problem that there is a limit to the improvement in processing speed, only the Internet connection function of the communication device and portable device is used, and the information from the Internet is directly read on the PC. There is a problem that the shortage of the storage memory of the apparatus and the shortage of processing capacity must be compensated.

(Object of invention)
The present invention has been invented in view of such problems, and simplified information obtained from the Internet using a communication device such as a mobile phone having a function of connecting to the Internet or a mobile terminal such as a PDA. For example, only Uniform Resource Locator (hereinafter referred to as URL) information, which is a description format indicating the location of the information source on the Internet, such as http://www.candy.co.jp/pubindex.html, is temporarily stored. Since the amount of information to be stored can be reduced by storing the information, it is not necessary to acquire detailed information, and a large amount of information can be acquired within a limited memory range. Furthermore, URL information such as URL information, which is simplified information temporarily stored with a PC or printer having a function of connecting to the Internet and having a wireless data communication function, is communicated via wireless data communication. To provide a printing system that allows images and document data to be sent to and received from a specific location on the Internet using a PC or printer to display the image on a display on the PC or print information to the printer Is.

  In order to achieve this object, the present invention is equipped with wireless data communication means for transmitting and receiving information including image data to a printer. A wireless data communication means similar to a printer is mounted on a PC, PDA, or communication device having a function of connecting to a data communication network such as the Internet. After acquiring detailed information from the Internet based on the URL, which is simplified information temporarily stored in the PDA or communication device, the detailed information is transferred to the printer and the image data and document information in a predetermined format by a wireless data communication method. By sending / receiving to / from the PC, it is possible to send the acquired information directly to the printer and print it without connecting to a cable, and the URL information, which is temporarily stored temporarily, can be processed once. Send to a PC, connect to the Internet via the PC, acquire detailed images and information, and process on the PC without processing on a PDA or communication device that has a processing speed limit, Faster and more comfortable operability can be obtained. In addition, wireless communication means can be transmitted and received by wireless communication in accordance with a communication protocol (hereinafter referred to as a profile) using a method such as Bluetooth or IrDA.

  As described above, mobile terminals such as mobile phones that have relatively low processing capacity acquire and store only the location information (URL) of Internet information, and are connected to a notebook PC connected in accordance with a wireless data communication method such as Bluetooth. Alternatively, by sending / receiving only URL information to / from the printer, image processing related to searching for detailed information, downloading and printing detailed information, and printing is performed on a Note PC or printer, so that high processing is possible for mobile phones, PDAs, etc. It is possible to operate comfortably without requiring ability. In addition, since it is only necessary to store simple information such as URL information, it is possible to collect a large number of URLs from a large amount of information even with a small storage memory capacity. Print processing is possible.

  That is, there is an advantage that an inexpensive communication terminal can be used because an expensive communication device having a high-speed processing capability is not required and an additional memory is not necessary.

  Furthermore, by effectively utilizing the portability of the mobile terminal, it is possible to obtain only a large amount of location information of necessary and sufficient information source anytime, anywhere with a small amount of storage capacity. It is possible to acquire and print detailed information by connecting wirelessly to a Note PC or printer while maintaining portability without connecting a cable.

  Hereinafter, description will be made based on examples of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire system configuration block according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, 100 is a printing device (hereinafter referred to as a printer), 200 is a mobile terminal device (hereinafter referred to as a mobile phone), 300 is a note PC, 400 is a PDA which is a mobile terminal device, and 500 is a data communication line. It is the Internet that is the net.

  The printer 100 via the communication unit 103 and the antenna 111, the mobile phone 200 via the communication unit 208 and the antenna 209, the Note PC 300 via the communication unit 308 and the antenna 309, the PDA 400 the communication unit 408 and Via the antenna 409, data including commands and image data can be transmitted and received with each other by wireless communication. Further, wireless communication among the printer 100, the mobile phone 200, the Note PC 300, and the PDA 400 is performed by a spread spectrum method such as Bluetooth. That is, the communication units 103, 208, 308, and 408 need to be able to transmit and receive by wireless communication in accordance with the communication protocol (hereinafter referred to as a profile) such as Bluetooth and IrDA. Bluetooth is a short-range wireless data communication technology developed by Ericsson in Sweden, and is mainly intended for wireless connection between computers and mobile communication devices such as mobile phones. Needless to say, both communication units 103, 208, 308, and 408 that perform data communication need to have a predetermined profile such as Bluetooth.

  Bluetooth currently has a maximum transmission distance of 10 meters and a maximum data transfer rate of 1 Mbps. In addition, IrDA is a communication technology using infrared rays, and similarly to Bluetooth, both communication units 103, 208, 308, and 408 need to be infrared light receiving / emitting units.

  On the other hand, the mobile phone 200 is connected to the Internet 500 which is a data communication line network via the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207, and the Note PC 300 is connected to the Internet 500 via the communication unit 311 configured by a modem or the like. The PDA 400 is connected to the Internet 500 via a communication unit 411 including a modem card and a LAN card.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the printer 100 of the present invention.

  In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a printer engine, which is equipped with a print head, a print head transport mechanism, a print paper transport mechanism, a drive motor thereof, and the like.

  A printer control unit 102 controls the entire printer 100. The printer control unit 102 controls driving of the printer engine 101, and stores image data of a memory card (not shown) including a semiconductor memory and a hard disk mounted on the connector 105. This is a printer control unit that controls reading and conversion into a data format that can be printed by the printer 100 by the image processing unit 109 and the image decompression unit 110, such as a microcontroller (not shown, CPU), a dedicated circuit (hereinafter, ASIC), etc. It consists of

  108 is a program memory in which constants, variables, and programs for operation of the printer control unit 102 are stored. The program memory 108 includes a read only memory (ROM). The printer control unit 102, the communication unit 103, and the memory card slot control A control program for the unit 104, the image processing unit 109, the image expansion unit 110, and the like, software for communication protocol (hereinafter referred to as a profile) such as Bluetooth and IrDA, and the like are stored.

  A communication unit 103 has various near field data communication functions such as spread spectrum communication such as Bluetooth and infrared communication such as IrDA. Reference numeral 111 denotes an antenna for connecting the printer 100 to another device by the communication unit 103 or an infrared transmission / reception module for IrDA.

  Reference numeral 104 denotes a memory card slot controller for reading and writing storage information such as image data of a memory card (not shown) attached to the connector 105. A compact memory card or the like can be obtained by using a PCMCIA memory card, a connector shape changing adapter, or the like. It can correspond to various memory cards. Further, it goes without saying that it is not necessary to use a connector shape changing adapter by mounting a memory card slot control unit corresponding to various memory cards.

  A memory card connector 105 is generally a PCMCIA card connector standardized by an industry group.

  Reference numeral 106 denotes an operation unit of the printer 100, which includes a power switch of the printer 100, a status display LED, and the like.

  A storage unit 107 is used as a working memory or a temporary storage unit when the CPU of the printer control unit 102 operates, and is a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as a RAM).

  109 is an image processing unit, and the image data of a memory card (not shown) captured by a digital still camera (not shown) is a so-called RGB color space of the three primary colors of the optical system, red, green, and blue. It is generally expressed by data and compressed in a predetermined format to reduce the image size, but in printers such as inkjet printers, unlike the three primary colors of the optical system, yellow, magenta, It is expressed in the so-called Y, M, and C color space data of cyan. Therefore, the RGB color space data is converted into YMC color space data by the image processing unit 109 so that the image can be printed by the printer.

  110 is an image decompression unit, for example, a Joint Photographic Experts Group image (hereinafter referred to as JPG) decompression processing unit, which can be used to convert JPG files, which are image compression file formats commonly used in digital still cameras and the like. The bit image is converted back into a data format that can be printed by the printer 100. In this embodiment, a JPG image will be described, but it goes without saying that it is not limited to the JPG format.

  A power supply unit 112 generates system power from an AC power source (not shown) or a DC power source such as a battery.

  FIG. 3 is a block configuration diagram showing details of a mobile phone which is the mobile terminal device 200 in the present embodiment.

  In the figure, 201 is a communication system control unit that controls the entire mobile terminal device 200, 205 is a control program for the communication system control unit 201, various constants for operation, variables, image display control, Bluetooth, Read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) that stores software such as IrDA communication protocol (hereinafter referred to as profile), or non-volatile that can be electrically erased / rewritten to store the communication line number, etc. Memory (hereinafter referred to as Flash ROM).

  Reference numeral 204 denotes a working memory for a communication system control unit configured by a CPU and a dedicated circuit, and a memory for storing sound input from the microphone 212 or image data transmitted from the printer 100. It consists of random access memory.

  The storage capacity of the RAM 204 is sufficient to store a predetermined time of audio and / or a predetermined number of image data.

  202 is an image display unit that displays an operation status, a message, and the like with image data stored in the RAM 204 and operation instruction information from the operation unit 203 in accordance with execution of a program in the communication system control unit 201. It consists of a device (hereinafter, LCD).

  203 is an operation unit for inputting various operation instructions of the communication system control unit 201, and is configured by a single or a plurality of combinations such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, and a pointing device.

  The operation unit 203 can perform operations such as connecting / disconnecting power to the mobile terminal device 200, executing / stopping a call, inputting / selecting a telephone number, switching a communication mode, selecting a function, and the like.

  A communication unit 206 has various long-range wireless communication functions. Reference numeral 207 denotes an antenna that connects the mobile terminal device 200 to another communication device and / or a communication base via the communication unit 206.

  A communication unit 208 has various short-range wireless data communication functions such as spread spectrum communication such as Bluetooth and infrared communication such as IrDA. Reference numeral 209 denotes an antenna that connects the mobile terminal device 200 to another short-range data communication device by the communication unit 208.

  Reference numeral 212 denotes a microphone that converts sound into an electrical signal. Reference numeral 212 denotes an A / D converter that converts an analog electrical signal from the microphone 212 into a digital signal.

  Reference numeral 211 denotes a D / A converter that converts a digital signal into an analog signal, and reference numeral 213 denotes a speaker that converts an analog electric signal into an audio signal. Under the control of the communication control unit 201, digital data read from the memory 204 is input to the D / A conversion unit 211. The digital data converted by the D / A converter is output to the speaker 213 as analog data, that is, audio data.

  A power supply unit 214 includes a DC-DC converter or the like, and generates a system power supply from a DC power input such as a battery (not shown).

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of the Note PC which is the information processing apparatus in this embodiment.

  In FIG. 4, 301 is a microprocessor that controls the entire information processing apparatus 300, and instructs the system control unit 302 according to a startup program (hereinafter referred to as BIOS) stored in the ROM 305.

  A system control unit 302 is a control unit that controls all of the information processing device 300 based on instructions from the CPU 301, and is a control unit configured with a dedicated circuit, and writes and reads data to and from the storage device 307. Or display data is transmitted to the display unit 306. Control of reading of key instruction data from the key operation unit 303 and transmission / reception of data to / from the communication unit 308 is also performed.

  303 is an operation unit for inputting various operation instructions of the system control unit 302, and is configured by a single or a plurality of combinations such as a switch, a dial, a touch panel, and a pointing device.

  The operation unit 303 can perform operations such as connecting / disconnecting power to the information processing apparatus 300, executing / stopping a call, inputting / selecting information, switching a communication mode, and selecting a function.

  Reference numeral 304 denotes a working memory of the system control unit configured by the CPU 301 and a dedicated circuit, a memory for storing operation state information transmitted from the printer 100, and the like, and includes a RAM.

  305 stores a control program for the system control unit 302, a control program for starting the system, profile software such as Bluetooth and IrDA, and various constants and variables for operation. It is composed of a ROM or a non-volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as EEPROM) that can be electrically erased / rewritten.

  Reference numeral 306 denotes an image display unit that displays an operation state, a message, and the like with image data stored in the RAM 304 and operation instruction information from the operation unit 303 according to execution of a program in the system control unit 302. (Hereinafter referred to as LCD).

  A storage device 307 is a storage device for temporarily storing data or storing application software. It is also used to store data sent to and received from a communication device, in addition to a print control program for instructing switching of connected printers. It consists of a hard disk device, semiconductor memory, memory card, etc. Is done. It is also possible to store the system control program stored in the ROM 305.

  A communication unit 308 has various near field wireless data communication functions such as spread spectrum communication such as Bluetooth and infrared communication such as IrDA. Reference numeral 309 denotes an antenna that connects the information processing apparatus 300 to another short-range data communication apparatus through the communication unit 308.

  A power supply unit 310 is a circuit that generates a system power supply required by each unit of the information processing apparatus 300, and generates a system power supply from an AC power supply input.

  Reference numeral 311 denotes a communication unit for connecting to a data communication line network 500 such as the Internet. When using a telephone line network, a modem device is used. When connecting directly to the data communication network, a LAN adapter generally called 10/100 Base-T is used. Recently, broadband routers and ADSL modems are also used.

  FIG. 5 shows a detailed block diagram of a PDA which is the portable terminal device 400 in this embodiment.

  The basic configuration of a PDA is similar to that of the Note PC described in FIG. 4, except that it is different in terms of processing capacity of the CPU 401, physical restrictions on memory capacity for portability, power consumption, etc. Have similar functions. In general, a touch panel is used as an operation unit, and information is input or an operation is instructed by a character recognition function using a pen or the like.

  In FIG. 5, 401 is a microprocessor that controls the entire mobile terminal device 400, and instructs the system control unit 402 according to a program stored in the ROM 405.

  A system control unit 402 is a control unit that controls all of the mobile terminal device 400 based on an instruction from the CPU 401, and is a control unit configured with a dedicated circuit, and writes and reads data to and from the storage device 407. Or display data is transmitted to the display unit 406. Control of reading key instruction data from the touch panel operation unit 403 and transmission / reception of data with the communication unit 408 is also performed.

  Reference numeral 403 denotes an operation unit for inputting various operation instructions of the system control unit 402, and is configured by a touch panel.

  The operation unit 403 can perform operations such as connecting / disconnecting power to the mobile terminal device 400, executing / stopping a call, inputting / selecting a telephone number, switching a communication mode, and selecting a function.

  Reference numeral 404 denotes a working memory of the system control unit configured by the CPU 401 and a dedicated circuit, a memory for storing operation state information transmitted from the printer 100, and the like, and includes a RAM.

  405 stores a control program for the system control unit 402, a control program for system activation, profile software such as Bluetooth and IrDA, and various constants and variables for operation. It is composed of a ROM or a non-volatile memory (hereinafter referred to as Flash ROM) that can be erased / rewritten electrically.

  Reference numeral 406 denotes an image display unit that displays an operation status, a message, and the like based on image data stored in the RAM 404 and operation instruction information from the operation unit 403 in accordance with execution of a program in the system control unit 402. (Hereinafter referred to as LCD).

  A storage device 407 is a storage device for temporarily storing data or storing application software. It is also used to store data sent to and received from a communication device, in addition to a print control program for instructing switching of a connected printer, such as a memory card type micro hard disk device or memory card. Consists of. It is also possible to store a system control program stored in the ROM 405.

  A communication unit 408 has various short-range wireless data communication functions such as spread spectrum communication such as Bluetooth and infrared communication such as IrDA. Reference numeral 409 denotes an antenna that connects the mobile terminal device 400 to another short-range data communication device by the communication unit 408.

  A power supply unit 410 is a circuit that generates a system power supply required by each unit of the mobile terminal device 400, and generates a system power supply from a battery power input.

  Reference numeral 411 denotes a communication unit for connecting to a data communication line network 500 such as the Internet. When a telephone line network is used, a modem card device is used. When connecting directly to a data communication network, a LAN card adapter generally called 10 / 100Base-T is used.

  Hereinafter, using FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, after connecting the mobile phone 200 to the Internet 500 and acquiring URL information which is simplified information, the URL information is transmitted to the Note PC 300 by wireless data communication. Details of detailed information acquisition and printing operations in the PC 300 will be described. In addition, after connecting the PDA 400 to the Internet 500 and acquiring URL information, which is simplified information, the URL information is transmitted to the Note PC 300 by wireless data communication, so that detailed information acquisition and printing operations on the Note PC 300 are the same. Therefore, detailed description is omitted.

  In FIG. 3, the user activates Internet browsing software (hereinafter referred to as “Web browser”) which is application software (not shown) stored in the ROM 205 by inputting a key from the key operation unit 203. The web browser connects to the Internet 500 through the communication unit 206 and the antenna 207 under the control of the communication system control unit 201.

  When the mobile phone 200 is connected to the Internet 500, the Web browser displays information such as the URL that is the location information of the information source (hereinafter referred to as homepage) existing on the Internet 500 on the LCD display as the display unit 202. Then, it waits for an instruction from the user.

  The home page is generally described in a description language called Hyper Text Markup Language (hereinafter referred to as HTML), and character representation, image display, and the like are described hierarchically in HTML description. Therefore, in order to acquire detailed information, it is acquired by digging down to the final hierarchy. For example, as a homepage description example, the URL of a Canon homepage is described as follows. That is, http://www.candy.co.jp/.

  In this URL, various information is constructed using the industry standard description language called HTML. That is, text description such as sentences and images such as images and figures are expressed in description language.

  The web browser on the mobile phone 200 acquires homepage information described in these description languages from the Internet 500 via the antenna 207 and the communication unit 206 (hereinafter referred to as download), and then the RAM 204 or an electrically writable ROM 205. To store.

  The communication system control unit 201 interprets the information described in the downloaded HTML language, thereby downloading more detailed information and image data from the URL of the Internet 500 and displaying it on the LCD of the display unit 202. In this case, in order to interpret the HTML, download the image data, display the image data, and print the image on the printer 100, a complicated arithmetic process such as conversion to a data format that can be processed by the printer, for example, a raster data format, is performed. A communication system control unit 201 having high-speed processing capability is required. In the mobile phone 200 having a medium / low speed processing capability, there is a possibility that the operation becomes slow and the mobile phone 200 cannot be used.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the interpretation of the HTML and the display of the image data in the communication system control unit 201 are performed, and by selecting and displaying only the information that can be confirmed by the user, Do not download detailed information and data.

  That is, instead of the detailed data, the URL information indicating the location of the detailed data on the Internet 500 or only the location of the image data in the URL is downloaded via the antenna 207 and the communication unit 206, and the RAM 204 and the ROM 205 are downloaded. I will remember it. Here, in order to reduce the data memory size, the image data format on the Internet 500 is generally stored by compressing the image data, such as JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) or GIF (Graphics Interchange Format). ) Format is used.

Therefore, the image data on the homepage is
For example, the image data Sample1.jpg on the homepage http://www.candy.co.jp/ is described as http://www.candy.co.jp/Sample1.jpg, and the homepage http: // www. Sample1.jpg that exists one level lower than candy.co.jp/ is shown.

  Therefore, rather than downloading Sample1.jpg, which is the image data on the homepage, download the text description http://www.candy.co.jp/Sample1.jpg and store it in a memory such as RAM204 or ROM205. By storing, the amount of memory used can be reduced and a large amount of information can be stored. In general, the mobile phone 200 and PDA 400 are most suitable for accessing the Internet 500 outdoors, and are often used for information retrieval purposes. There seems to be few opportunities to print.

  However, once you return to the indoor environment, there will be many opportunities to print more detailed information such as information searched outdoors, and devices with sufficient storage capacity to store detailed information are available. There are many cases.

  Here, as mentioned above, there are printers 100 and Note PCs 300 equipped with short-range wireless data communication technologies such as Bluetooth and IrDA based on URLs downloaded by mobile phones 200, PDAs 400, etc. outdoors or indoors. An example of the operation in the environment is described, but the same applies to an environment where a plurality of printers exist and an environment where other devices exist. In addition, operations related to communication are performed in accordance with a method stipulated in a communication protocol and the like, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, in FIG. 2, when the power supply is connected by pressing a power switch (not shown) of the operation unit 106 of the printer 100, the printer control unit 102 is operated based on the control of the program stored in the ROM 108. Display of the LED 103 (not shown) and initialization of the printer engine 101 and RAM 107 of the printer 100 are executed. That is, the mechanism such as clearing the work RAM and the print head (not shown) of the printer engine 101 is returned to the initial position.

  Next, variables related to control of the communication unit 103 stored in the ROM 108, such as the initial frequency of the communication unit and the communication speed (baud rate) with the communication unit 103 are set in the RAM 107, or the communication unit 103 The initial setting of the feed communication unit 103 is executed.

  Thereafter, the printer 100 enters a communication standby state in S3 and waits for an instruction from the portable terminal device 200. In this state, it goes without saying that data can be received from a host (not shown) connected via a cable and input via an interface (not shown) such as a USB or Centronics that is normally installed in the printer 100 and printed.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 3, when the power switch (not shown) of the operation unit 203 of the mobile phone 200 is pressed, the communication system control unit 201 is similar to the printer 100 based on the control of the program stored in the ROM 205. The RAM 204 is initialized, and the communication unit 206, the communication unit 208, and the display unit 202 are initialized.

  Thereafter, the mobile phone 200 enters a communication standby state and waits for a call from another communication device or an operation instruction from the operation unit 203.

  Similarly, in FIG. 4, when the power switch (not shown) of the operation unit 303 of the Note PC 300 is pressed, the system control unit 302 is similar to the mobile phone 200 based on the control of the program stored in the ROM 305. The RAM 304 is initialized, and the communication unit 308, the communication unit 311 and the display unit 306 are initialized.

  Thereafter, the Note PC 300 enters a communication standby state and waits for a call from another communication device or an operation instruction from the operation unit 303.

  Here, in a communication device equipped with a short-range wireless data communication technology such as Bluetooth or IrDA, the display content of the display unit 202 is switched and displayed in a pull-down menu format according to an operation instruction by a key input or the like from the operation unit 203. Therefore, communication is executed according to the key operation of the operation unit 203 by switching to a display menu (not shown) for short-range wireless data communication.

  Now, when short-range wireless data communication such as Bluetooth is selected according to the menu of the display unit 202, the communication system control unit 201 connects with other wireless communication devices according to instructions from the key input under the control of the program ROM 205. In order to determine whether or not there is a device (connection destination client) capable of short-range wireless data communication in the vicinity, a predetermined search method is used via the communication unit 208 and the antenna 209. Search for. For example, a communication device is searched in accordance with a search method defined by a communication protocol such as Bluetooth, a so-called service discovery profile, and the device waits for a response from the device capable of communication.

  At this time, the communication system control unit 201 of the mobile phone 200 receives the connectable response from the printer 100 and the Note PC 300. It goes without saying that if the power of the PDA 400 is turned on, a response from the PDA 400 is also received.

  Next, the communication system control unit 201 displays a response list of connectable response communication devices on the display unit 202. The user selects Note PC 300 as a connection destination client from the list, and the mobile phone 200 and Note PC 300 are connected via wireless data communication under the control of the communication system control unit 201.

  When the connection is completed, the communication system control unit 201 wirelessly transmits “http://www.candy.co.jp/Sample1.jpg”, which is URL information temporarily stored in the RAM 204 or the ROM 205, to the Note PC 300. It transmits via the antenna 209 and the communication part 208 by data communication. On the other hand, based on the URL information from the mobile phone 200 received via the antenna 309 and the communication unit 308, a web browser (not shown) that is Internet search software stored in the storage device 307 is automatically started. The detailed information is downloaded from the Internet 500 via the LAN adapter of the communication unit 311 and temporarily stored in the RAM 304 or the storage device 307.

  That is, the image data itself represented by Sample1.jpg in the homepage “http://www.candy.co.jp/Sample1.jpg” is downloaded and stored.

  Next, in order to print the downloaded Sample1.jpg image data with the printer 100, the wireless data communication between the mobile phone 200 and the Note PC 300 is once disconnected, and the wireless data communication between the Note PC 300 and the printer 100 is performed. Will be executed again. The detailed operation is basically the same as the connection method between the mobile phone 200 and the Note PC 300 described above, and is therefore omitted.

  However, in general, the mobile phone 200 and the PDA 400 are optimal for access to the Internet 500 outdoors, and are often used for purposes such as information retrieval.

  Now, after disconnecting the wireless data communication between the mobile phone 200 and the Note PC 300, when the user inputs an instruction from the key operation unit 303 for printing, the system control unit 302 causes the Note PC 300 communication unit 308 and the antenna 309 and Wireless data communication connection is executed via the communication unit 103 of the printer 100 and the antenna 111.

  When the connection is completed, the Note PC 300 can display the received compressed image data on the display unit 306 by decompressing the compressed image data using the image conversion program stored in the storage device 307. The data is converted into a data format and displayed, and printing data, for example, raster data is generated and temporarily stored in the RAM 304 or the storage device 307. Here, since the display unit 306 is generally composed of a graphic display, it needs to be developed into a bit image. For example, JPG data is converted into BMP data (Bit Map Image) and displayed. Further, by transmitting the raster data, which is the generated print data, to the printer 100 by wireless data communication, it is possible to print on the printer 100.

  If the printer 100 supports an image compression format such as Jpeg as in the printer of this embodiment, it goes without saying that it is not necessary to generate print data for the printer on the Note PC 300. The image data may be transmitted.

  In the present embodiment, since the printer 100 has functions such as the image processing unit 109 and the Jpeg image decompression 110, the downloaded compressed image data Sample1.jpg is transmitted as it is.

  On the other hand, in the printer 100, in order to print the received image data Sample1.jpg, the printer control unit 102 reads the temporarily received image data Sample1.jpg from the RAM 107 and outputs it to the image decompression unit 110. . The image decompression unit 110 decompresses the compressed image data (Sample1.jpg) and outputs it to the image processing unit 109 for color space conversion so that the printer 100 can print it. The image processing unit 109 performs color conversion on the input expanded image data, for example, color conversion from RGB to YMCK, and stores the converted data in the RAM 107 as print data. That is, the image expansion unit 110 converts the JPG image data into a bit image, and the image processing unit 109 converts the converted RGB data into YMCK data that can be handled by the inkjet printer 100. By this conversion, the three primary color data of the optical system can be handled as the four primary colors for the first time, and printing becomes possible.

  The printer control unit 102 reads out the print data stored in the RAM 107 and simultaneously outputs it to the printer engine 101 for printing.

  In this way, in a portable terminal with a relatively low processing capability such as the cellular phone 200, only the location information (URL) of the Internet information is acquired and stored, and the Note PC 300 connected in accordance with a wireless data communication method such as Bluetooth, or By sending / receiving only URL information to / from the printer 100, image processing related to detailed information retrieval, detailed information download and printing is processed by the Note PC 300 or the printer 100, so that the mobile phone 200 has high processing capability. It is possible to operate comfortably without requesting. In addition, since it is only necessary to store simple information such as URL information, it is possible to collect a large amount of information source URL information with a small storage memory capacity, and at a higher speed processing than a portable terminal when necessary. Print processing is possible.

  Although the above description has been described for short-range wireless data communication such as Bluetooth and IrDA, it is needless to say that the present invention can be applied to other wireless data communication methods and wired communication methods having a bidirectional communication function.

  In the above explanation, the mobile phone 200 is connected to the Internet 500, URL information that is simplified information is acquired, then the URL information is transmitted to the Note PC 300 by wireless data communication, and detailed information is acquired and printed on the Note PC 300. Although an example of data generation or print data transmission operation has been described in detail, the printer 100 according to the present embodiment includes a connection means to a data communication network that is a function of connecting to the Internet 500, and the Internet. If the Web browser function, which is a software function that can view 500, is installed, it is not necessary to acquire detailed information or print processing by the information processing device 300, and it can be acquired directly from the mobile terminal device 200 by wireless data communication. It is also possible to send a URL, which is information, and to download and print detailed information from the Internet 500 in the printer 100 Needless to say.

  As described above, a mobile terminal having a relatively low processing capacity such as the mobile phone 200 can acquire and store only the location information (URL) of the Internet information and connect it according to a wireless data communication method such as Bluetooth. Only the URL information is transmitted to and received from the Note PC 300 or the printer 100, and the image processing related to detailed information retrieval, detailed information download and printing is processed by the Note PC 300 or the printer 100. It is possible to operate comfortably without requiring high processing capacity. Furthermore, wireless data connection eliminates the hassle of cable connection and does not impair portability, and only simple information such as URL information can be stored. In addition to being able to collect data, it is possible to perform printing processing on a device capable of higher speed processing than a portable terminal when necessary.

Overall system configuration block diagram of this embodiment Configuration block diagram of printing apparatus of this embodiment Configuration block diagram of portable terminal device (mobile phone) of the present embodiment Configuration block diagram of the information processing device (Note PC) of this embodiment Configuration block diagram of a portable terminal device (PDA) of the present embodiment Conventional example 1

Explanation of symbols

100 printer
101 Printer engine
102 Printer control unit
103 Communications department
104 Memory card slot controller
105 Memory card connector
106 Operation unit
107 Random access memory (RAM)
108 Read-only memory (ROM)
109 Image processor
110 Image expansion
111 Antenna
112 Power supply
200 Mobile terminal device (mobile phone)
201 Communication system controller
202 Display
203 Operation section
204 Random access memory (RAM)
205 Read-only memory (ROM)
206 Communications department
207 Antenna
208 Communications Department
209 Antenna
210 Analog to digital converter
211 Digital-analog converter
212 microphone
213 Speaker
214 Power supply
300 Information processing equipment (Note PC)
301 Microprocessor (CPU)
302 System controller
303 Key operation
304 Random access memory (RAM)
305 Read-only memory (ROM)
306 Display (LCD)
307 storage device
308 Communication Department
309 antenna
310 Power supply
311 Communication Department
400 Personal digital assistant (PDA)
401 Microprocessor (CPU)
402 System controller
403 Touch panel operation section
404 Random access memory (RAM)
405 Read-only memory (ROM)
406 Display (LCD)
407 storage device
408 Communications Department
409 Antenna
410 Power supply
411 Communication Department
500 Data communication network (Internet)
600 printer
601 Note PC
602 cable
603 Portable Terminal Device (PDA)
604 Mobile terminal device (mobile phone)
605 cable
606 Display (LCD)
607 cable
608 Data communication network (Internet)

Claims (17)

  From an information processing apparatus and a portable terminal having a communication function to a printer having a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving information by wireless communication in accordance with a wireless communication protocol and capable of performing wireless communication with the printer In this print system, information acquired from the data communication network in advance by the mobile terminal is stored in the mobile terminal, and the stored information is transmitted to and received from the information device by wireless communication. The information processing apparatus that has received the stored information acquires detailed information via the data communication network based on the received information, performs print processing in the information processing apparatus, and performs the wireless communication to the printer. A printing system characterized by being transmitted to a printer for printing.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the stored information indicates a location of an information transmission source of the data communication network.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the data communication network is the Internet.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the printer is an ink jet system.   The print system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a personal computer.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone.   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal is a personal information management device (PDA).   2. The printing system according to claim 1, wherein the communication protocol is Bluetooth or IrDA.   An image decompression unit that can be mounted with a storage device storing image data and that decompresses the image data, and an image processing unit that converts the image data decompressed by the image decompression unit into printable print data A communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving image data stored in the storage device by wireless communication in accordance with a wireless communication protocol, a printer having a communication function to the data communication network, and a communication function to the data communication network A print system comprising an information processing apparatus capable of wireless communication with the printer and a portable terminal, wherein information acquired from a data communication network in advance by the portable terminal is stored in the portable terminal The stored information is transmitted to and received from the printer by wireless communication. The printer that has received the stored information acquires detailed information including image data via the data communication network based on the received information, and print data is printed by the image decompression unit and the image processing unit of the printer. A printing system characterized by processing and printing.   10. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the printer is an ink jet system.   10. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the storage device is a memory card.   10. The print system according to claim 9, wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile phone.   10. The print system according to claim 9, wherein the portable terminal is a personal information management device (PDA).   10. The print system according to claim 9, wherein the information processing apparatus is a personal computer.   10. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the stored information indicates a location of an information transmission source of the data communication network.   10. The print system according to claim 9, wherein the image data transmitted / received to / from the portable terminal through the wireless communication is a reduced image.   10. The printing system according to claim 9, wherein the communication protocol is Bluetooth or IrDA.

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