JP2012124754A - Image display device, image data transfer device, image data transfer system, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image data transfer system enabling data transmission to a plurality of image display devices with a simple operation, and to provide the image display device, an image data transfer device, and a computer program, which constitute the image data transfer system.SOLUTION: When an image reading portion 24 reads image data of an original, the image data transfer device 20 transfers the image data to a second proximity radio communication apparatus of an image display device of the plurality of image display devices 26 that is placed on the lowermost side via a short-range radio communication apparatus on an interface unit 30. The image display device transfers the image data via its first proximity radio communication apparatus to a second proximity radio communication apparatus of an image display device placed next above. The image data are sequentially transferred in the similar way. When transfer is completed, the image data is displayed on a display device of an uppermost image display device.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device, an image data transfer device, an image data transfer system, and a computer program, and in particular, an image data transfer system that enables image data transmission to a plurality of image display devices, and the image data. The present invention relates to an image display device, an image data transfer device, and a computer program that constitute a transfer system.

  In recent years, portable image display devices such as portable information terminals and tablet computers have become widespread. Such an image display device has a display, and can display image data captured on the display. If necessary image data is input to the portable image display device, the user can display the image data regardless of the place. Therefore, if an image conventionally printed on paper is input to the image display device and the image display device is carried, the user can reduce paper consumption. Furthermore, an information terminal called a touch pad is realized as one of portable image display devices. The touch pad has a touch panel including a display function and a position input function, and can edit not only the display of image data. The user can edit the image data while confirming the display of the image data input to the touch pad.

  An example of using a touchpad in this way is use during a meeting. In meetings, materials are often distributed to multiple people. Therefore, if an image of the material is input in advance on the touchpad of each individual who participates in the conference, it is possible to save the trouble of printing and distributing the material. Furthermore, participants in the conference can directly edit the image data while participating in the conference by using the touch pad.

  As a method of transferring image data to a plurality of touch pads, there is a method of transferring image data from a common server to each touch pad using wireless communication. However, with this method, if a plurality of image data is stored in the server, the transfer person may be confused as to which image data is to be transferred to each touchpad. When multiple conferences are held, the amount of image data transferred to each touchpad increases, so the possibility of this confusion increases. Therefore, a technique capable of transferring image data to a plurality of touch pads with a simpler operation than the conventional operation is required.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133260 discloses a technique for sharing an image among a plurality of digital cameras. In this technique, each digital camera includes a communication unit and can perform close proximity wireless communication with another information terminal. Therefore, image data can be easily shared among a plurality of digital cameras.

JP 2010-45741 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when transferring a plurality of devices to transfer image data, the user needs to set a transfer source and a transfer destination of the image data each time. Performing this setting every time is not convenient for the user, and there is room for improvement.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image data transfer system capable of transmitting data to a plurality of image display devices with a simple operation, as well as an image display device, an image data transfer device constituting the image data transfer system, And providing a computer program.

  An image display device according to the present invention includes a flat housing having first and second surfaces, a display device provided on the first surface, and a first proximity wireless communication provided on the first surface. The housing is formed in a shape that can be overlaid so that the second surface of the second image display device overlaps the first surface of the first image display device. The image display device is further arranged on the second surface so that the image display device can communicate with the first proximity wireless communication device of the other image display device when the image display device is superimposed on the other image display device. A second proximity wireless communication device provided at a predetermined position; a storage device that stores image data received by the second proximity wireless communication device from another device; and image data stored in the storage device, A transfer control means for transferring to the second close proximity wireless communication device of another image display device overlaid on the image display device via the close proximity wireless communication device, and responding when a predetermined condition is satisfied And first display control means for causing the display device to display the image data stored in the storage device.

  When the image display devices are superimposed, the first proximity wireless communication device provided in the first image display device and the second proximity wireless communication device provided in the second image display device can communicate with each other. Thus, image data can be transferred from the first image display device to the second image display device. Similarly, image data can be transferred between more image display devices. Therefore, the image data can be transferred between the image display devices with a simpler operation than the conventional method.

  Preferably, the image display device determines whether the first proximity wireless communication device can communicate with another proximity wireless communication device in response to the second proximity wireless communication device receiving the image data. And a determination means. In response to the determination by the determination unit being negative, the transfer control unit cancels the process of transferring the image data stored in the storage device to another device via the first proximity wireless device. And a transfer execution means for executing processing for transferring the image data stored in the storage device to another device via the first proximity wireless device in response to a positive determination by the determination device. including.

  When the second proximity wireless communication device receives the image data, it is determined whether or not the first proximity wireless communication device can communicate with another image display device, and the transfer of the image data or the suspension of the transfer process is determined according to the determination result. Done automatically. Accordingly, if the image data can be transferred to another image display device, the transfer is automatically performed. If the image data cannot be transferred, the transfer is automatically stopped.

  More preferably, in response to the determination by the determination unit being negative, the first display control unit is positive in the display start unit for displaying a predetermined image on the display device and the determination by the determination unit. In response to this, display erasure means for erasing the display of the display device is included.

  When the transfer of the image data to another image display device is successful, nothing is displayed on the display device by the display erasure means, and when it is unsuccessful, a predetermined image is displayed. Therefore, the user can easily confirm whether the transfer of the image data from the image display device to another image display device is successful or unsuccessful by checking the display device.

  More preferably, the predetermined image is an image based on image data received by the second proximity wireless communication device and stored in the storage device.

  If the transfer of the image data is successful, the image data in the storage device is displayed on the display device. Therefore, the user can easily confirm whether or not the image data instructed to be transferred has been correctly transferred.

  Preferably, the display device includes a display-integrated touch panel. The image display device further includes second display control means for controlling display of an image by the display device based on image data stored in the storage device in response to an operation performed on the display-integrated touch panel. .

  Since the display device is composed of a display-integrated touch panel, the user can operate the image display device while confirming the display on the display device.

  An image data transfer apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit for inputting image data, a mounting table having a mounting surface on which the image display device can be mounted, and a mounting surface of the mounting table connected to the input unit. And a short-range wireless communication device for transferring image data input by the input means to another wireless communication device by short-range wireless communication. The mounting table is configured such that when the image display device is mounted at a predetermined position on the mounting surface of the mounting table in a predetermined posture, the second proximity wireless communication device of the image display device can communicate with the short-range wireless communication device. It is formed in such a shape.

  When the image display device is mounted on the mounting table in a predetermined posture, the second near field communication device and the near field communication device of the image display device can communicate with each other. Therefore, the image data input to the image data transfer device can be transferred to the image display device by mounting the image display device on the mounting table. When the above-described image display device is used, transfer of image data from the image data transfer device to a plurality of image display devices can be performed with an easy operation.

  Preferably, the input unit includes an image reading device that scans an image and converts the image data into image data, and an image data temporary storage device that temporarily stores image data from the image reading device, and stores the image data in the image data temporary storage device. The obtained image data can be read out by the short-range wireless communication device.

  The image data read by the image reading device is stored in the image data temporary storage device. Therefore, when the original is read by the image reading device, the image data of the read original can be transferred to another wireless communication device by short-range wireless communication.

  More preferably, the image data transfer device includes a scan start instruction means for starting scanning of an image by the scanner in response to a predetermined operation by the user.

  Reading of the original using the scanner is started by the scanner starting means. The user can arbitrarily set the timing for scanning the document.

  More preferably, the image data transfer device is connected to the short-range wireless communication device, and the short-range wireless communication device communicates with another wireless communication device in response to the start or completion of image reading by the image reading device. A communication availability determination unit that determines whether communication is possible, a transfer start unit that starts transfer of image data by the short-range wireless communication device in response to a positive determination by the communication availability determination unit, and communication availability In addition, in response to the determination by the determination means being negative, it further includes transfer stop means for stopping the communication processing by the short-range wireless communication device.

  Whether or not the image data is transferred is determined according to the determination result by the communication availability determination unit. When image reading is instructed without placing the image display device on the mounting table, the process of transferring the image data to the image display device is not executed. Only when possible, the image data is automatically transferred. Therefore, useless transfer processing can be prevented.

  More preferably, in the image data transfer device, the determination by the image forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium and the communication availability determination unit is negative based on the image data stored in the image data temporary storage device. And image forming control means for starting image formation by the image forming means in response.

  When communication with another wireless communication device is impossible, an image based on the input image data is formed on the recording medium by the image forming means. Therefore, when an image reading is instructed without placing the image display device on the mounting table, it is possible to form an image on a recording medium as in a normal image forming device. When the image display device is placed on the mounting table and the image reading is instructed, the image data is automatically transferred to the image display device. Therefore, both the transfer of the image to the image display device and the normal image formation can be easily used properly.

  The image data transfer system according to the present invention includes the image display device and the image data transfer device.

  According to this image data transfer system, when a plurality of image display devices are placed on the mounting table of the image data transfer device, the image data read by the image data transfer device is transferred to all the image display devices. . Therefore, the image data can be transferred to a plurality of image display devices by almost the same operation as a general copy operation for printing image data on paper.

  A computer program according to the present invention is connected to a display device, first and second proximity wireless communication devices, and a second proximity wireless communication device, and an image received by the second proximity wireless communication device from another device. A computer connected to a storage device for storing data is connected to the first proximity wireless communication device, and image data stored in the storage device is transferred to another proximity wireless communication device via the first proximity wireless device. And a transfer control means for transferring the image data to the display device and a first display control means for displaying the image data stored in the storage device on the display device in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied.

  This computer program transfers the image data stored in the storage device to another close proximity wireless communication device via the first close proximity wireless communication device. Further, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the computer program displays the image data on a display device. Therefore, the image data is automatically transferred or displayed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when the image display device is set on the mounting table and the document image is input, the image data of the document is automatically transferred to the image display device. When a plurality of image display devices overlap, the image data is transferred to them in a chain. Therefore, the user can transmit image data to a plurality of image display devices with almost the same effort as the conventional operation of printing an image on paper.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an image data transfer system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the interface unit and image display apparatus which are shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the image data transfer apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the control structure of the program performed in order to perform the transfer of an image with an image data transfer apparatus. It is a figure which shows the control structure of the program performed in order to perform reception and transfer of an image with an image display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state immediately after starting the transfer of an image to an image display apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state of an image data transfer system when transfer of the image to an image display apparatus is completed. It is a figure which shows the state of an image data transfer system when transfer of the image to an image display apparatus fails.

  In the following description and drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[overall structure]
Referring to FIG. 1, an image data transfer device 20 includes an image reading unit 24 for reading a document, a print button 22 for printing the read image data, and an interface for connecting to an external communication device. This is a digital copying machine including a unit 30. The image data transfer device 20 has functions of a general image forming apparatus such as a function of forming an image on a sheet and a function of conveying the sheet. However, since these functions are not related to the essence of the present invention, the parts related to these functions are not shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of clarity.

  An external communication device can be placed on the interface unit 30 as shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 2, interface unit 30 includes a short-range wireless communication unit 70 for communicating with an external communication device. When an external communication device is connected to the short-range wireless communication unit 70 or arranged at a distance of several centimeters from the short-range wireless communication unit 70, communication between the communication device and the image data transfer device 20 becomes possible. .

  Referring to FIG. 2, touch pads 40, 50, and 60 are touch pads having the same configuration. Therefore, only the touch pad 60 will be described here. The touch pad 60 includes a display 96 for displaying image data and a tablet 94 provided on the display surface of the display 96 for detecting instructions from the user. The display 96 includes a color liquid crystal display device, for example.

  Further, the touch pad 60 includes a first proximity wireless communication unit 62 and a second proximity wireless communication unit 64 for communicating with surrounding electronic devices. The first proximity wireless communication unit 62 is installed on the same side as the display 96, and the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 is installed on the opposite side of the first proximity wireless communication unit 62 and the display 96. The first and second proximity wireless communication units 62 and 64 enable communication with electronic devices when communication units of different electronic devices are connected or installed in a range of several centimeters. The first proximity wireless communication unit and the second proximity wireless communication unit are arranged to overlap when the two touchpads are overlapped in the same direction.

  The touch pads 40, 50, and 60 can be placed on the interface unit 30 in an overlaid state. The touch pad 60 is arranged on the interface unit 30 so that the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 and the short-range wireless communication unit 70 overlap, and the touch pads 50 and 40 are further arranged in this order on the touch pad 60. Arrange them so that they overlap in the same direction. Since the touch pads 40, 50, and 60 are stacked in the same direction, the first and second proximity wireless communication units of each touch pad can communicate with each other. Therefore, when data is transferred from the short-range wireless communication unit 70 to the second proximity wireless communication unit 64, the data is transferred via the first and second proximity wireless communication units 62 and 64 of the touch pads 40, 50, and 60. The data can be sequentially transferred to the touch pads 60, 50, and 40 by communication.

[Hardware configuration]
Referring to FIG. 3, in addition to the above-described tablet 94, display 96, and first and second proximity wireless communication units 62 and 64, the touch pad 60 temporarily stores image data transferred from other devices. Temporary storage unit 82 for storing data, a non-volatile storage unit 84 for storing data, an input processing unit 86 for processing instructions from the user, and a display process for displaying image data on the display 96 Part 88 is included. Both the first and second proximity wireless communication units 62 and 64 can communicate with the temporary storage unit 82. In particular, the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 can store the received image data in the temporary storage unit 82, and the first proximity wireless communication unit 62 reads out the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 82, and the like. Can be sent to other devices.

  The temporary storage unit 82 is configured by an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The temporary storage unit 82 stores information generated by the processing of the control unit 80 and image data received by the second close proximity wireless transfer unit 64. The control unit 80 saves or deletes the information in the temporary storage unit 82 as necessary.

  In the present embodiment, the storage unit 84 is configured by an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a hard disk. The storage unit 84 stores a touchpad program 92. The storage unit 84 further stores other programs such as application software used in the touch pad 60. The control unit 80 reads and executes these programs in accordance with instructions from the user.

  The input processing unit 86 is connected to the tablet 94. The tablet 94 detects which part of the tablet 94 is pressed by the finger or the pen-type input device 90 and notifies the input processing unit 86 of the part. The input processing unit 86 transmits a signal related to input from the user to the control unit 80. After receiving this signal, the control unit 80 interprets the user's instruction on the program based on the pressed coordinates of the user, and performs necessary control on each functional unit.

  The display processing unit 88 is connected to the display 96. When an instruction to change the display content is given by the control unit, the display processing unit 88 drives the display 96 in response to the instruction, and the display content corresponding to the instruction is displayed on the display 96.

  In the present embodiment, the tablet 94 and the display 96 are configured as a display-integrated touch panel. Therefore, the user can perform an instruction operation while confirming the display contents.

  The first proximity wireless communication unit 62 includes a first antenna 66 and a first communication processing unit 68 for performing wireless communication with an external electronic device using the first antenna 66. The first antenna 66 is for near field communication using weak radio waves.

  The second proximity wireless communication unit 64 includes a second antenna 72 and a second communication processing unit 74. Since these have the same functions as the first antenna 66 and the first communication processing unit 68, detailed description of the functions will not be repeated here.

  The first proximity wireless communication unit 62 and the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 are provided at positions that overlap each other when two touchpads are overlapped so that one surface is in contact with the other back surface. .

  Referring to FIG. 4, the image data transfer device 20 detects a temporary storage unit 102 for temporarily storing data such as image data, a non-volatile storage unit 104 for storing data, and a user operation. Operation panel 108, image reading unit 24 for reading image data of an original, image forming unit 110 for forming an image based on the image data on paper, and paper for supplying paper to image forming unit 110 A feeding unit 112, a fixing unit 114 for fixing an image formed on the sheet by the image forming unit 110, a sheet discharging unit 116 for discharging the sheet from the apparatus, and automatically conveying the sheet according to a printing operation. An automatic document feeder 118 for storing paper, and an automatic paper feed cassette 120 for storing paper. The image data transfer device 20 further includes a short-range wireless communication unit 70 for performing wireless communication with an external electronic device, and a control unit 100 for controlling each functional unit.

  The temporary storage unit 102 is configured by SRAM or DRAM. In the temporary storage unit 102, information generated by the processing of the control unit 100 is stored. The control unit 100 saves or deletes the information in the temporary storage unit 102 in accordance with an instruction from the user.

  The storage unit 104 is composed of a hard disk in this embodiment. The storage unit 104 stores an image data transfer apparatus program 106. The storage unit 104 further stores other programs used in the image data transfer apparatus 20 such as a program related to image formation. The control unit 100 reads and executes these programs as necessary.

  The operation panel 108 includes a print button 22 for instructing start of copying. The operation panel 108 detects an operation instruction from the user, and transmits a signal corresponding to the detected operation to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 performs necessary control on each functional unit in accordance with the received signal.

  The short-range wireless communication unit 70 includes an antenna 76 and a communication processing unit 78 for the control unit 100 to perform wireless communication with an external electronic device using the antenna 76.

Software configuration
With reference to FIG. 5, a control structure of a program executed in the image data transfer device 20 when image data is transferred from the image data transfer device 20 to the touch pad 60 will be described. When the print button 22 is pressed (step 142), the control proceeds to step 144, and the control unit 100 determines whether or not a document is set in the image reading unit 24. If the print button 22 is not pressed, the control unit 100 ends the execution of the program without performing any operation. If the determination is affirmative at step 144, control proceeds to step 146. In step 146, the control unit 100 controls the image reading unit 24 to read the set original, and the control proceeds to step 148. In step 148, the control unit 100 determines whether a signal is received from the interface unit 30. If this determination is affirmative, it is understood that the touch pad 60 is installed on the interface unit 30 and communication is possible when the power is turned on. In step 152, the control unit 100 controls the short-range wireless communication unit 70 to transfer the read image data to the touch pad 60, and ends the execution of this program. If the determination in step 148 is negative, control proceeds to step 150. In step 150, the control unit 100 controls the image forming unit 110 to print the read image data on a sheet, and ends the execution of this program.

  Note that the control unit 100 periodically executes the program at short intervals so that the above-described program can be quickly executed at the same time when the print button is pressed (step 142).

  With reference to FIG. 6, a control structure of a program executed in each touch pad when image data is transferred between a plurality of touch pads will be described. The control unit 80 determines whether or not there is a signal from the second close proximity wireless transfer unit 64 (step 162). If this signal is present, the second close proximity wireless transfer unit 64 has data transfer from another device. Control continues to step 164. If there is no signal from the second proximity wireless communication unit 64, the control unit 80 ends the execution of the program. In step 164, the control unit 80 determines whether or not reception of image data from the second close proximity wireless transfer unit 64 is complete. If this determination is positive, the image data is stored in the temporary storage unit 82. Control continues to step 166. If the determination in step 164 is negative, it means that image data is being received, and execution of the program ends. In step 166, the control unit 80 determines whether a signal is received from the first close proximity wireless transfer unit 62. If this determination is affirmative, it means that there is another touch pad to be transferred, and the control proceeds to step 170. If not, control proceeds to step 168. In step 168, the control unit 80 controls the display processing unit 88 to display the transferred image on the display 96, and the execution of the program ends without transferring the image. In step 170, the control unit 80 controls the first proximity wireless communication unit 62 to transfer the received image data to the touch pad placed on the touch pad. When this transfer is completed, display on the display 96 is erased so that an image is not displayed on the display 96, and execution of the program ends.

  Thereafter, the control unit 80 repeats execution of this program at short intervals. The determination at step 162 is YES and the determination at step 164 is NO while the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 is receiving image data. When the reception of the image data is completed, the determination in step 164 is also YES.

  The touch pads 40 and 50 have the same configuration as the touch pad 60 described above. Therefore, details thereof will not be repeated here.

[Operation]
When the same image data is transferred to a plurality of touch pads, the touch pads 40, 50, and 60 and the image data transfer device 20 operate as follows. In the following, reference is mainly made to FIGS. 1-2 and 7-9.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is assumed that a plurality of touch pads are all placed on interface unit 30 with the back side down. The user sets a document on the image reading unit 24 and presses the print button 22. Note that the touchpad is configured such that the short-range wireless communication unit 70 and the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 of the touchpad 60 can communicate with each other, and the first proximity wireless communication unit 62 of the lower touchpad is on the upper side. The touchpad is placed so as to be communicable with the second proximity wireless communication unit 64. In the present embodiment, when communication is possible in this manner, an image displayed on the display of each touch pad is once erased. In response to the user pressing the print button 22, the image data transfer device 20 reads the image of the document, and the short-range wireless communication unit 70 sends the read image data to the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 of the touch pad 60. Send.

  When the second proximity wireless communication unit 62 receives the image data, the control unit of the touch pad 60 transmits the image data to the second proximity wireless communication unit of the touch pad 50 by the first proximity wireless communication unit 64. To do. Similarly, the touch pad 50 transfers the image data to the touch pad 40. In this way, the image data read by the image data transfer device 20 is successively transferred to a plurality of touch pads.

  In the touch pad 40, after receiving image data, the second proximity wireless communication unit 64 cannot communicate with other devices. In this case, the determination in step 166 in FIG. 6 is NO, and the touch pad 40 displays the image data on the display 96. By this display, the user can know that the image data transfer operation has been completed up to the last touch pad 40.

  Referring to FIG. 7, immediately after the user presses print button 22, no image data is displayed on the display of the touch pad placed on the top of the plurality of touch pads 26. After a while, the image data is displayed on the display as shown in FIG. As described above, the image data is sequentially transferred from the touch pad placed on the interface unit side. There is a slight time lag from when the user presses the print button 22 until the touchpad placed at the top receives image data. Therefore, the user can determine whether or not the transfer is completed by checking the display of the touchpad placed on the top.

  The transfer ends in the middle, such as when the touchpad is powered off or when the orientation of the touchpad is different from the other touchpads. Since the touchpad immediately before the touchpad 180 that failed to transfer has not received a signal from the upper touchpad, the determination in step 166 of FIG. 6 is negative and an image is displayed on the display. If an image is not displayed on the display of the touchpad placed on the top of the plurality of touchpads 26 after a while from the time when the print button 22 is pressed, the user indicates that the transfer has failed. I can know. In this case, by confirming each touch pad from the upper side of the plurality of touch pads 26, the user can confirm in which touch pad the transfer has failed.

  As described above, according to the image data transfer system according to the present embodiment, if a plurality of touch pads are set on the interface unit 30, an original is set on the image reading unit 24, and the print button 22 is pressed, the automatic operation is performed. The image data of the document is transferred to all touch pads. Therefore, the user can transfer image data to each touch pad in the same manner as printing an image on a sheet using a general image forming apparatus. Since the image data transfer device 20 automatically performs from reading to transfer of a document, even when transferring a plurality of image data, there is little possibility that the image data to be transferred will be mixed. As the image data, not only the image data read from the document but also the image data stored in the image data transfer device 20 may be used.

  The image data transfer apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment is a digital copying machine and has an image forming function. However, the image data transfer apparatus according to the present invention may not include an image forming function. For example, the present invention can also be applied to an apparatus specialized to read a document with a scanner and transfer image data with an interface unit.

  The interface unit 30 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. For example, walls may be installed on three sides of the place where the touchpad is placed. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the placed touch pad from collapsing. Furthermore, by using this shape, the touch pad can be placed upright. If a plurality of touchpads are placed upright like a book on a bookshelf, the touchpad can be placed and removed more easily than when the touchpads are placed sideways. Further, the interface unit 30 may have a shape in which the place where the touch pad is placed is recessed. This shape makes it easier to understand where the touchpad is placed.

  The touch pads 40, 50, and 60 include a touch panel having a display function and an input function. However, the image display apparatus according to the present invention may not have such an input function. For example, an image display device having a display screen and hard keys for operating the display screen may be used.

  The touch pads 40, 50, and 60 are shaped like rectangular plates. However, the image display apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to such a shape. Further, the image display device is not limited to a stackable shape as long as communication between the image display devices is possible.

  Touch pads 40, 50, and 60 include a first proximity wireless communication unit on the same side as the display and a second proximity wireless communication unit on the opposite side. However, the image display apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to such a structure. For example, image data may be received and transmitted by the same close proximity wireless communication unit. Furthermore, the proximity wireless communication unit is not limited to being installed on the same side as the display or on the opposite side, and may be installed on the side of the image display device, for example.

  Even if the touch pad 60 becomes communicable, some image may be displayed on the display 96 before performing communication. For example, displaying “ready for transfer completion” on the display can prevent the image data from being transferred in advance even if the transfer is not performed. Also in this case, when the image data is received and the transfer of the image data to another device is completed, the display on the display is erased. If the image data cannot be transferred to another apparatus even though the image data has been received, an image based on the image data is displayed.

  In step 168, the image to be displayed is not limited to the transferred image. For example, a warning screen notifying that the transfer has failed may be displayed.

  The image display device may include a display unit or a notification unit for notifying the transfer. For example, the image display device that has completed the transfer may have a case where the display unit changes from red to green, and a case where the notification unit of the image display device that has failed to transfer generates an alarm sound.

  The embodiment disclosed herein is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The scope of the present invention is indicated by each claim of the claims after taking into account the description of the detailed description of the invention, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the wording described therein are included. Including.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Image data transfer apparatus 22 Print button 24 Image reading part 26, 40, 50, 60, 180 Touchpad 30 Interface unit 62 1st proximity wireless communication part 64 2nd proximity wireless communication part 70 Near field communication part 80, 100 control unit 96 display

Claims (12)

A flat housing having first and second surfaces;
A display device provided on the first surface;
An image display device including a first proximity wireless communication device provided on the first surface,
The casing is formed in a shape that can be overlapped with the first surface of the first image display device so that the second surface of the second image display device overlaps,
The image display device further includes
When the image display device is overlaid on another image display device, the image display device is placed at a predetermined position on the second surface so that it can communicate with the first proximity wireless communication device of the other image display device. A second proximity wireless communication device provided;
A storage device for storing image data received by the second proximity wireless communication device from another device;
Transferring the image data stored in the storage device to the second proximity wireless communication device of another image display device superimposed on the image display device via the first proximity wireless communication device Transfer control means;
An image display device comprising: first display control means for causing the display device to display image data stored in the storage device in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied. In response to the reception of the image data by the second proximity wireless communication device, a determination means for determining whether or not the first proximity wireless communication device can communicate with another proximity wireless communication device. Including
The transfer control means includes
In response to the determination by the determination means being negative, transfer stop means for stopping the process of transferring the image data stored in the storage device to another device via the first proximity wireless device; ,
In response to the determination by the determination means being affirmative, transfer execution means for executing processing for transferring the image data stored in the storage device to another device via the first proximity wireless device; The image display device according to claim 1, comprising: The first display control means includes
In response to the determination by the determination unit being negative, a display start unit for displaying a predetermined image on the display device;
The image display device according to claim 2, further comprising: a display erasure unit for erasing the display of the display device in response to a positive determination by the determination unit.   The image display device according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined image is an image based on image data received by the second proximity wireless communication device and stored in the storage device. The display device includes a display-integrated touch panel,
The image display device further includes a second display that controls display of an image by the display device based on image data stored in the storage device in response to an operation performed on the display-integrated touch panel. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a control unit. An input means for inputting image data;
A mounting table having a mounting surface on which the image display device according to claim 1 can be mounted;
Short distance for transferring the image data input by the input means connected to the input means to the other wireless communication device by the short distance wireless communication provided at a predetermined position on the mounting surface of the mounting table. A wireless communication device,
In the mounting table, when the image display device is placed in a predetermined posture on a predetermined position on the mounting surface of the mounting table, the second proximity wireless communication device of the image display device An image data transfer device formed in a shape that enables communication with a wireless communication device. The input means includes
An image reading device that scans an image and converts it into image data;
An image data temporary storage device for temporarily storing image data from the image reading device,
The image data transfer device according to claim 6, wherein the image data stored in the image data temporary storage device can be read out by the short-range wireless communication device.   The image data transfer apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising scan start instruction means for starting scanning of an image by the scanner in response to a predetermined operation by a user. In response to the start or completion of image reading by the image reading device connected to the short-range wireless communication device, it is determined whether or not the short-range wireless communication device can communicate with another wireless communication device. Means for determining whether communication is possible;
In response to the determination by the communication feasibility determining unit being affirmative, transfer start unit for starting transfer of the image data by the short-range wireless communication device;
The image data transfer according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising: a transfer canceling unit that stops communication processing by the short-range wireless communication device in response to a negative determination by the communication feasibility determining unit. apparatus. And image forming means for forming an image on a recording medium based on the image data stored in the image data temporary storage device;
The image data transfer apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an image formation control unit that starts image formation by the image forming unit in response to a negative determination by the communication availability determination unit. An image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An image data transfer system including the image data transfer device according to claim 6. A display device;
First and second proximity wireless communication devices;
A computer connected to the second proximity wireless communication device and connected to a storage device for storing image data received by the second proximity wireless communication device from another device;
Transfer control means for transferring image data connected to the first proximity wireless communication device and stored in the storage device to another proximity wireless communication device via the first proximity wireless device;
A computer program that functions as first display control means for causing the display device to display image data stored in the storage device in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied.

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