JP2007133790A - Remote image printing system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a remote image printing system and method for printing an image photographed by a portable telephone or the like at a remote place. <P>SOLUTION: The image photographed by the portable telephone or the like at a remote place is temporarily stored in a mail server by mail via a communication network such as the Internet, the mail address of a transmission source of the stored image is checked, only the mail having a particular determined address is printed, and at the same time, the image is printed only when a printing condition, such as a particular keyword, which is retrieved from the title and text of the mail of the stored image satisfies the printing condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  Only when an image taken with a mobile phone or the like at a remote location is temporarily stored in a mail server via a communication network such as the Internet, and the print conditions of the stored image are searched and the print conditions are met. The present invention relates to a remote image printing system and method capable of printing an image.

  Since mobile phones are small and light, they are widely used because they can be used anywhere. In particular, mobile phones with a camera function are widely used as an alternative device for cameras because of the ease of taking pictures, and are used everywhere. However, since a mobile phone with a camera function does not have a printing function, as shown in FIG. 1, the photographed image can be temporarily stored in the memory card 2 of the mobile phone 1 and the contents of the memory card 2 can be printed. Move to the location of the printer 3 and carry it, set the printing conditions, print the image directly on the printing paper 4 using the printer 3, and also store the memory in the printing specialty store that prints the image of the mobile phone The card 2 is handed over and printing is requested.

  The above printing method not only has the inconvenience of moving and carrying the memory card 2, but also the inconvenience of being unable to print immediately. Therefore, instead of moving and carrying the memory card 2, a method is used in which the image content of the memory card 2 is transmitted to the printer 3 at a remote location using a communication network such as the Internet and printed by the printer 3. In some cases, because the security function is not implemented in the mail system, when an email with an irrelevant image from another person is received, the image is inadvertently printed or an email with a malicious image. May be inadvertently printed when a message is sent.

JP 2002-140255 A JP 2003-099229 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to send an image taken by a mobile phone or the like having a camera function and a mail function at a remote location via a communication network such as the Internet by mail. Then, temporarily store it in the mail server, check the mail address of the stored image source, and print it only at the specified address, and at the same time, store the mail of the stored image To provide a remote image printing system and method with a security function that can search for a printing condition such as a specific keyword from a title or body text and print an image only when the printing condition is met. .

In order to solve the above object, the present invention proposes the following means.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a system that prints an image taken with a mobile phone at a remote location away from the location where the photo was taken. Mail server capable of temporarily storing captured images, a receiving terminal device capable of printing captured images captured by a mobile phone, and a communication network such as the Internet in which the mobile phone is connected to the mail server and receiving terminal device A remote image printing system equipped with a receiving terminal device that retrieves a print condition of a photographed image stored in a mail server and prints the photographed image only when the print condition is met. Features.

  As a result, it is possible to print only the necessary images that meet the printing conditions via a communication network such as the Internet from an image taken by a mobile phone having a camera function and a mail function at a remote location. Therefore, when an email with an irrelevant image from another person is received, the image is inadvertently printed, or when an email with a malicious image is sent, it is inadvertently printed. Disappears.

  The invention described in claim 2 further includes a transmission terminal device connected to a communication network such as the Internet as an alternative to the mail function of the mobile phone.

  As a result, it is possible to transmit an image captured by the mobile phone to the mail server using the transmission terminal device without using the mail function of the mobile phone, and to print it at a remote location.

  The invention described in claim 3 is a digital device having a function of transmitting a captured image to the mail server via the communication network such as the Internet, which is equivalent to the mobile phone and the transmission terminal device. It is also effective for alternative devices such as cameras and personal computers.

  As a result, not only mobile phones and transmission terminal devices equipped with a camera function and a mail function, but also digital cameras or mobile personal computers having functions equivalent to those mobile phones and transmission terminal devices can be used at remote locations. A photographed image can be printed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the print condition is provided with a security function such as a print execution keyword or a permitted sender mail address, and the photographed image is printed with the number of printed sheets, color printing, Various conditions such as monochrome printing and divided printing can be set in advance.

  As a result, not only the security function for searching for keywords such as an authentication number and the e-mail address of the sender, but also various conditions such as the number of copies to be printed, color printing, monochrome printing, and division printing can be set in advance as printing conditions. Therefore, the troublesome setting of the print settings for each time is eliminated.

  According to the present invention, a mobile phone and a transmission terminal device having a camera function and a mail function which are small and light and convenient to carry and widely used, and a digital camera and a mobile personal computer having functions equivalent to the mobile phone are provided. When you receive an e-mail with an irrelevant image from another person, you can print an image taken at a remote location using a communication network such as the Internet only if it matches the printing conditions. In addition, there is an effect that an image is not printed carelessly or is not printed carelessly when a mail with a malicious image is sent. In addition to searching for keywords such as authentication numbers and email addresses of senders, printing conditions such as the number of copies to be printed, color printing, monochrome printing, and division printing can be set in advance. There is an effect that the troublesome setting of the print setting is eliminated.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a system configuration diagram of the present invention. The mobile phone 11 having a camera function and an e-mail function is usually disconnected from the Internet 16 and can be carried anywhere and can be taken anywhere. In order to print a photographed image, the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function is connected to the Internet 16 using the mail function of the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function. The photographed image is transmitted to the mail server 12. A receiving terminal device 13 is further connected to the Internet 16, and the receiving terminal device 13 includes software 15 for retrieving printing conditions for the photographed image. Only when the printing conditions are met, the camera function and A printer 14 capable of printing an image taken by the mobile phone 11 having a mail function is connected.

  There is a case where an image photographed at a remote location by a cellular phone is temporarily stored in a memory card of the cellular phone, and the photographed image stored in the memory card is desired to be printed at a remote location. In this case, the memory card is removed from the mobile phone and is mounted on a transmission terminal device connected to the Internet in the same manner as the mobile phone 11 having a camera function and a mail function, although not shown in the drawing. Then, the photographed image is transmitted from the transmission terminal device to the remote mail server 12 through the Internet, and stored in the mail server 12 as in the case of the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function.

  The software 15 built in the receiving terminal device 13 is configured to transfer the captured image to the mail server 12 directly from the mobile phone 11 having a camera function and a mail function or indirectly through the transmitting terminal device. It is periodically searched for whether or not it has been transmitted, and if it has been transmitted, the software 15 checks whether or not the printing conditions are met. If the printing conditions are met, the receiving terminal device 13 transfers the captured image stored in the mail server 12 from the mail server 12 to the receiving terminal device 13, and the printer 14 connected to the receiving terminal device 13 is transferred. Use to print the captured image. If the print conditions are not met, the receiving terminal device 13 does not print the captured image.

  FIG. 3 shows an operation flow for checking the printing conditions in the software 15. The software 15 starts in S1, and in S2, a mail with an image is transmitted directly from the mobile phone 11 having a camera function and a mail function to the server 15 or indirectly through the transmission terminal device. Find out if you have. As a result, if a mail has been transmitted, the printing condition is checked in S3, and if the printing condition is met, the process proceeds to S4. If the printing conditions are not met in S3, the process returns to S2, and the mail server 12 is further checked to see if the mail with an image has arrived at the mail server 12. If there is a mail with an image in the mail server 12, the printing conditions are checked in S3 as in the previous case. In the printing conditions, it is checked whether the transmission source address is a permitted address, whether a keyword such as an authentication number matches, whether a mail title is permitted, and the like. In this way, the software 15 periodically searches for information on the mail with the image of the mail server 12, and proceeds to S4 only when the mail with the image satisfies the printing conditions, and the shooting for printing in S4. The image is transferred from the mail server 12 to the receiving terminal device 13 and brought. Thereafter, the print keyword of the mail with an image brought in S5 is searched to check various conditions such as the number of printed sheets, color printing, monochrome printing, and divided printing. In S6, the transferred photographed image is printed according to the print keyword in S5, and the process is stopped in S7. After stopping at S7, the software 15 periodically returns to S1 and repeats the above operation.

  The printing keyword of S5 is basically added to the photographed image and mailed, but various conditions such as the number of printed sheets, color printing, monochrome printing, and division printing are received according to the received situation. It is set by the terminal device 13.

  In this way, an image taken with the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function can be printed only when the above printing conditions are met at a remote place away from the place where the picture was taken through the Internet. Yes, when you receive an email with an irrelevant image from another person, print it inadvertently, or print it when you receive an email with a malicious image There is nothing to do.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the printing conditions and the contents of the printing keywords are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be changed to various contents as necessary, and the communication means is also connected to the Internet. It is not limited. Further, the photographing apparatus is not limited to the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function, and it is effective to use a digital camera, a personal computer, or the like having the same function as the mobile phone 11 having the camera function and the mail function. The captured image can be transmitted using the mail function of the mobile phone 11 having a camera function and a mail function, or using the transmission terminal device.

  The present invention can be applied to a business where a person having no knowledge of a personal computer or a printer moves while taking an image taken with a mobile phone at a remote location under a security function. Further, since the image can be printed by a remote printer, it can be used like an image fax. As industrial applicability, for example, it is possible to print a photographed image of an accident scene such as a car accident in an insurance company or a photographed image of a wedding hall.

It is a figure which shows a mode that the picked-up image by the mobile telephone provided with the camera function which concerns on the background art of this invention is printed with a printer. 1 is a diagram showing an overall system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | work of the printing conditions which concern on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Cellular phone with camera function 2 Memory card 3 Printer (1)
4 Print Image 11 Mobile Phone 12 with Camera Function and Mail Function 12 Mail Server 13 Receiving Terminal Device 14 Printer (Part 2)
15 Software 16 Internet

Claims (4)

In a system that prints images taken with a mobile phone at a remote location away from the location where the photo was taken,
A mobile phone with camera and email functions,
A mail server that can temporarily store images taken from mobile phones,
A receiving terminal device capable of printing captured images taken with a mobile phone;
In a remote image printing system comprising a communication network such as the Internet to which the mobile phone and a mail server and a receiving terminal device are connected,
A remote image printing system and method characterized in that a receiving terminal device can search for printing conditions of a photographed image stored in a mail server and print the photographed image only when the printing condition is met.   The remote image printing system and method according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission terminal device connected to a communication network such as the Internet as an alternative to the mail function of the mobile phone.   It is also effective for an alternative device such as a digital camera or a personal computer having a function capable of transmitting a photographed image to the mail server via the communication network such as the Internet, equivalent to the mobile phone and the transmission terminal device. The remote image printing system and method according to claim 1. The printing conditions are provided with security functions such as a printing execution keyword and an authorized sender's e-mail address, and various conditions such as the number of printed sheets, color printing, monochrome printing, and division printing are set in advance for printing the captured image The remote image printing system and method according to claim 1, wherein the image printing system and method can be used.

Images