JP2013146048A - Image processing apparatus, communication method and communication program for image processing apparatus, portable information terminal, and information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image processing apparatus which efficiently connects with a portable information terminal of the user of the image processing apparatus, and to provide a communication method and communication program for the image processing apparatus, a portable information terminal, and an information processing system.SOLUTION: The image processing apparatus comprises: short distance radio communication means which is started in the case of detecting use of the image processing apparatus and performs short distance radio communication with the portable information terminal; and communication target identifying means which identifies the portable information terminal for performing the short distance radio communication with the image processing apparatus, on the basis of the field intensity of the short distance radio communication. The short distance radio communication means performs connection of the short distance radio communication with the portable information terminal identified by the communication target identifying means.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus, a communication method and a communication program in the image processing apparatus, a portable information terminal, and an information processing system.

  In recent years, a multifunction machine having a copy function or the like is installed in a convenience store or the like, and a usage form used by an unspecified number of people is generalized. After copying, you may forget to remove the original set on the MFP or forget to copy the output paper. In this case, the lost item is returned to the owner because the owner is unaware of the lost item, or the owner cannot be identified from the contents of the forgotten manuscript or output, and the existence of the lost item cannot be communicated. Often not.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a wireless communication system and image formation that can easily notify a user who has forgotten a document without using a service provided by a communication company by using short-range wireless communication. A technique relating to a method for preventing an image recording medium from being left on the apparatus has been disclosed (see Patent Document 1).

  In order to establish a connection for Bluetooth communication, it is necessary to input the same PIN code between devices to be connected. This PIN code is called a passkey.

  However, even with the technology described in Patent Document 1, if the mobile phone does not have an NFC (Near Field Communication) function, Bluetooth communication is not automatically established. Must be entered. In addition, even if there is an NFC function, users who want to use this function when paying a copy price by inserting coins need to hold the mobile phone over the multifunction device to enter the passkey. There was a problem that it took.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is an image processing apparatus that efficiently connects with a portable information terminal of a user of the image processing apparatus, a communication method and a communication program in the image processing apparatus, An object is to provide a portable information terminal and an information processing system.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above-described problem, the image processing apparatus of the present invention is activated when the use of the image processing apparatus is detected, and the short-range wireless communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with the portable information terminal, and the short-range Communication target specifying means for specifying the portable information terminal that performs short-range wireless communication with the image processing device based on the radio wave intensity of the wireless communication, and the short-range wireless communication means includes the communication target specifying means A short-range wireless communication connection is made with the specified portable information terminal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention may be a communication method and communication program in the image processing apparatus, a portable information terminal that communicates with the image processing apparatus, and an information processing system.

  According to the present invention, there are provided an image processing apparatus that efficiently connects with a portable information terminal of a user of the image processing apparatus, a communication method and a communication program in the image processing apparatus, a portable information terminal, and an information processing system. Can do.

1 is an external view of an image processing device and a portable information terminal according to a first embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of an image processing apparatus and a portable information terminal. It is a functional block diagram of an image processing device and a personal digital assistant in a 1st embodiment. It is a sequence diagram explaining a process until Bluetooth is connected. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the detection of a thing left behind in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of detection of the thing left behind in 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram of the forgotten thing detection process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the portable information terminal in 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram of the process in 3rd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the image processing apparatus and portable information terminal in 4th Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram of a process until Bluetooth communication is connected in 4th Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the image processing apparatus in 5th Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram of a process of the image processing apparatus in the fifth embodiment.

(First embodiment)
(Appearance of image processing apparatus 1 and portable information terminal 2)
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of an image processing device 1 and a portable information terminal 2 according to the first embodiment. In the following description, components necessary for the description of the present embodiment are shown for convenience.

  The image processing apparatus 1 is a multifunction machine having a general printer function, a copying function, and the like. The image processing apparatus 1 includes an ADF (Auto Document Feeder) unit 10, a display operation unit 11, an external memory insertion unit 12, an output unit 13, a card reading unit 14, and a coin handling unit 15. The portable information terminal 2 is a portable information terminal such as a general mobile phone or a smartphone. The portable information terminal 2 includes a display operation unit 20 and an audio output unit 21.

  The ADF unit 10 included in the image processing apparatus 1 is a place where a document to be read is set, and automatically transports the document as necessary. The display operation unit 11 includes a liquid crystal display, displays information related to the operation of the image processing apparatus 1, and accepts an operation from the user. It is also possible to provide a hardware key that is an operation button.

  The external memory insertion unit 12 inserts an external memory such as a USB memory or an SD memory card. The output unit 13 mounts the output paper. The card reading unit 14 reads a card having an electronic money function and settles the usage fee of the image processing apparatus 1. The coin handling unit 15 receives a coin input from the user and settles the usage fee of the image processing apparatus 1. It is also possible to accept banknotes.

  The display operation unit 20 included in the portable information terminal 2 displays information related to the operation of the portable information terminal 2 and accepts a user operation, and also displays a screen for notifying forgotten items described below. The voice output unit 21 performs voice output such as outputting a call voice of a mobile phone or outputting music when the portable information terminal 2 has a music playback function. When notifying a forgotten item, the voice output unit 21 outputs a notification voice.

  In this configuration, when a user having the portable information terminal 2 uses the image processing apparatus 1 and forgets a document in the ADF unit 10 or forgets an output product in the output unit 13, The mobile information terminal 2 is notified. Since the portable information terminal 1 receives the notification and notifies the user by voice or screen display, the user can recognize a forgotten thing.

  In this configuration, a user having the portable information terminal 2 inputs user information to the portable information terminal 2 and registers it in advance. The user information is information such as sex, age, occupation type, hobby, and the like. The image processing apparatus 1 acquires user information from the portable information terminal 2 and transmits the user information to a server connected via a network. When the image processing apparatus 1 acquires the advertisement image corresponding to the user information from the server, the image processing apparatus 1 prints the advertisement image on the back surface of the output sheet.

(Hardware configuration of image processing apparatus 1)
Next, the hardware configuration of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 2A is a hardware configuration diagram of the image processing apparatus 1.

  The image processing apparatus 1 includes a CPU 101, a memory device 102, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit 104, an image processing unit 105, a sensor 106, an image reading unit 103, an external media I / F 107, a display unit 108, an operation unit 109, and a settlement unit. 110.

  The CPU 101 is a central processing unit, and executes processing according to a program stored in the memory device 102. The memory device 102 includes a ROM, a RAM, or an HDD, and stores a program executed by the image processing apparatus 1. The Bluetooth communication unit 104 is a Bluetooth interface that is short-range wireless communication, and in this embodiment, communication with the portable information terminal 2 is performed.

  A document placed on the ADF is read by the image reading unit 103, and predetermined image processing is performed by the image processing unit 105. One or more sensors 106 are installed to detect whether or not a document is placed, insertion of a USB, insertion of a coin, pressing of an end button, presence of paper on a tray, and the like. The external media I / F 107 is an interface with a removable external medium such as a USB memory, an SD memory card, or a DVD.

  The display unit 108 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) or the like by a program. The operation unit 109 includes a liquid crystal display such as a touch panel and operation buttons, and receives input of various operation instructions. The settlement unit 110 performs settlement of the usage fee of the image processing apparatus 1. The settlement unit 110 performs settlement between the amount received by the card reading unit 14 and the coin handling unit 15 and the usage fee of the image processing apparatus.

  When the settlement unit 110 accepts the insertion of coins, the image reading unit 103 reads a document based on the input of the operation unit 109, performs image processing by the image processing unit 105, and outputs it. When the sensor 106 detects that the document has been forgotten, the Bluetooth communication unit 104 notifies the portable information terminal. The settlement may be performed after using the image processing apparatus 1. In addition, regarding a process of outputting an image input from an external medium via the external medium I / F 107, notification of forgotten things is performed via the Bluetooth communication unit.

(Hardware configuration of portable information terminal 2)
FIG. 2B is a hardware configuration of the portable information terminal 2. The portable information terminal 2 includes a CPU 201, a memory device 202, a Bluetooth communication unit 203, a GPS unit 204, and a notification unit 205. The CPU 201 is a central processing unit that executes processing in the portable information terminal 2, and executes processing according to a program stored in the memory device 202. The memory device is composed of ROM, RAM, or HDD, and stores a program necessary for processing in the portable information terminal 2.

  The Bluetooth communication unit 203 is a Bluetooth interface that is short-range wireless communication, and communicates with the Bluetooth communication unit 104 of the image processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment. The GPS unit 204 measures the position of the portable information terminal 2 using GPS (Global Positioning System). The notification unit 205 notifies the user by voice or screen display when there is a notification of forgotten things from the image processing apparatus 1.

(Function and configuration of image processing apparatus 1)
Next, functional configurations of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2. The image processing apparatus 1 includes a use start detection unit 301, a use end detection unit 302, a device control unit 303, a forgotten object detection unit 304, a Bluetooth control unit 305, a distance estimation unit 306, and a communication target specifying unit 307. The Bluetooth control unit 305 includes a Bluetooth communication unit 308.

  The use start detection unit 301 detects the start of use of the image processing apparatus 1 from the signal detected by the sensor 106 and notifies the apparatus control unit 303 of the use start. The start of use refers to inserting a coin into the coin handling unit 15, reading electronic money from the card reading unit 14, operating the operation unit 109, inserting a memory into the external memory insertion unit 12, and the like. The device control unit 303 instructs the Bluetooth control unit 305 to start an application used for Bluetooth communication. The Bluetooth control unit 305 activates an application.

  Bluetooth acquires RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication), which is the received signal strength received from another Bluetooth device, or the value of the transmitted signal strength. The Bluetooth control unit 305 notifies the distance estimation unit 306 of the radio wave intensity that is the received signal intensity received from the portable information terminal 2 that is another Bluetooth device. The distance estimating unit 306 estimates the distance between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 from the radio wave intensity and transmits the estimated distance to the communication target specifying unit 307.

  When there is one portable information terminal that has transmitted a Bluetooth communication signal, the communication target identifying unit 307 identifies the portable information terminal 2 that has transmitted the signal as a communication target for Bluetooth communication. When there are a plurality of portable information terminals 2 that have transmitted signals, based on the distance received from the distance estimation unit 306, the portable information terminal 2 that is closest to the image processing device 1 is communicated by the communication target specifying unit 307. Identified.

  The communication target specifying unit 307 notifies the Bluetooth control unit 305 of the specified mobile information terminal 2. The Bluetooth communication unit 308 starts connection with the mobile information terminal 2 specified via the Bluetooth communication unit 308.

  The forgotten object detection unit 304 detects forgotten things left in the image processing apparatus 1 and notifies the apparatus control unit 303 of them. The forgotten thing detected here refers to a document left in the ADF unit 10, an output thing left in the output unit 13, and an external memory left in the external memory insertion unit 12, but is left in the image processing apparatus 1. This is not the case as long as the sensor 106 can recognize the remaining position. The device control unit 303 transmits the presence of the forgotten item to the Bluetooth control unit 305, and the Bluetooth control unit 305 notifies the portable information terminal 2 of the presence of the forgotten item corresponding to the sensor 106 that has recognized the remaining object via the Bluetooth communication unit 308. To do.

  Here, in order for the communication target specifying unit 307 to specify the portable information terminal 2, the distance estimation unit 306 estimates the distance between the image processing device 1 and the portable information terminal 2 based on the received signal strength, and the closest distance The portable information terminal 2 located in is identified as a communication target. However, the Bluetooth control unit 305 may set the radio wave intensity of the Bluetooth communication to class 3 and transmit the portable information terminal 2 within the range of 1 m which is the class 3 radio wave reach to the communication target specifying unit 307.

(Function and configuration of portable information terminal)
The portable information terminal 2 includes a notification control unit 401, a passkey input unit 402, a server information transmission / reception unit 403, a location information recognition unit 404, an interface unit 405, a service providing application 406, and a distance recognition unit 407. The service providing application 406 includes a Bluetooth communication unit 408.

  The interface unit 405 is wirelessly connected to an external server 501 that provides services to the portable information terminal 2, and the position information recognition unit 404 recognizes the current position of the portable information terminal 2 using a GPS function. Note that the system is not limited to GPS as long as the system can recognize position information based on information from the satellite.

  First, the service providing application 406 using Bluetooth communication is activated. In the case of the present embodiment, the service providing application is an application that provides a forgotten property notification service. The position information recognition unit 404 recognizes the position information of the portable information terminal 2, and the server information transmission / reception unit 403 sends the position information request signal of the image processing apparatus 1 including the recognized position information to the external server via the interface unit 405. 501 is transmitted. Thereafter, the server information transmission / reception unit 403 receives the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 from the external server 501 via the interface unit 405.

  The distance recognition unit 407 recognizes the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 from the current position of the portable information terminal 2 and the position information of the image processing apparatus 1. The service providing application 406 activates Bluetooth when the distance recognized by the distance recognition unit 407 is closer than a predetermined distance (for example, 2 m).

  In order to establish a connection between two Bluetooth terminals, an operation called pairing is required. Pairing is an operation of specifying the connection target by inputting the same passkey from each terminal. The pairing prevents erroneous connection in an environment where an unspecified number of terminals may exist.

  The pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 is recorded in the external server 501 in advance, and the server information transmission / reception unit 403 receives the pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 from the external server 501 via the interface unit 405 together with the position information of the image processing apparatus 1. Receive. The passkey input unit 402 passes the passkey of the image processing apparatus 1 to the Bluetooth control unit.

  When the pass key is input, the service providing application 406 connects the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 via the Bluetooth communication unit 408. When a notification of forgotten things is received from the image processing apparatus 1 via Bluetooth communication, the notification control unit 401 performs notification.

  The distance between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is measured by the external server 501, and when the distance is closer than a predetermined distance, the service providing application 406 is notified from the external server 501 via the interface unit 405. The service providing application 406 may activate Bluetooth based on the notification.

  In addition, although the pass key for the Bluetooth communication connection is acquired from the external server 501, the image processing apparatus 1 corresponding to this service may be connected using the same common pass key. In this case, the passkey input unit 402 is set in advance to hold a common passkey, and when the service providing application 406 recognizes the image processing apparatus 1, the passkey input unit 402 is requested to enter the common passkey and the passkey input unit 402 inputs the common passkey. Then, the connection may be started.

(Flow until Bluetooth is connected)
Next, a flow until Bluetooth connection is performed between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing until Bluetooth is connected.

  When the service providing application 406 is activated, this is notified to the position information recognition unit 404 (S101). The location information recognition unit 404 receives the notification from the service providing application 406, acquires the location information of the portable information terminal 2 using the GPS function, and notifies the server information transmission / reception unit 403 of the acquired location information (S102). ), The distance recognition unit 407 is also notified (S103). The server information transmission / reception unit 403 receives the notification of the position information of the portable information terminal 2, generates a position information request signal of the image processing apparatus 1 including the position information, and transmits the position information request signal to the external server 501 (S104).

  The external server 501 receives a position information request signal including the position information of the portable information terminal 2, searches a database related to the image processing apparatus 1 in the server, and stores the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 closest to the portable information terminal 2. The pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 is recognized. The external server 501 transmits the recognized position information and pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 to the server information transmission / reception unit 403 (S105).

  The server information transmission / reception unit 403 notifies the position information of the received image processing device 1 to the distance recognition unit 407 (S106), and notifies the passkey of the received image processing device 1 to the passkey input unit 402 (S107). The passkey notified to the passkey input unit 402 is stored in a predetermined memory.

  In the distance recognition unit 407, the mobile information terminal 2 and the image processing device are obtained from the location information of the mobile information terminal 2 notified from the location information recognition unit 404 and the location information of the image processing device 1 notified from the server information transmitting / receiving unit 403. The distance to 1 is recognized. The recognized distance is transmitted from the distance recognition unit 407 to the service providing application 406 (S108). If the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 is less than the predetermined distance, Bluetooth is activated by the service providing application 406 in S109.

  On the other hand, on the image processing device 1 side, when the use start detection unit 301 detects the use of the image processing device 1, the start of use is transmitted to the device control unit 303 (S110). In response to the use start notification, when the device control unit 303 notifies the Bluetooth control unit 305 of the start of use (S111), the Bluetooth control unit 305 activates Bluetooth (S112). For convenience, the detection of the start of use in S110 is set after the activation of Bluetooth of the portable information terminal 1 in S106, but it does not matter before and after.

  When Bluetooth of the image processing apparatus 1 is activated, an inquiry is made to another Bluetooth device from the Bluetooth communication unit 308 (S113). At this point in time, the portable information terminal 2 has not yet been specified, and inquires one or more Bluetooth devices existing in the vicinity of the radio wave reachable range. The Bluetooth communication unit 408 of the portable information terminal 2 receives the inquiry from the Bluetooth communication unit 308, and makes a response to the inquiry to the Bluetooth communication unit 308 of the image processing apparatus 1 (S114).

  When receiving the response, the Bluetooth control unit 305 recognizes the radio wave intensity of the response received from the portable information terminal 2 and transmits it to the distance estimation unit 306 (S115). The distance estimation unit 306 estimates the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing device 1 based on the notified radio wave intensity, and the estimated distance is notified to the communication target specifying unit 307 (S116). In the communication target specifying unit 307, the portable information terminal 2 closest to the image processing apparatus 1 is specified as a communication target based on the distance notified from the distance estimation unit 306, and is transmitted to the Bluetooth control unit 305 (S117).

  The Bluetooth control unit 305 controls the mobile information terminal 2 specified by the communication target specifying unit 307 to call Bluetooth. The specified portable information terminal 2 is called from the Bluetooth communication unit 308 (S118), and the Bluetooth communication unit 408 receives the call from the Bluetooth communication unit 308.

  The Bluetooth communication unit 308 makes a response to the call (S119), and the Bluetooth synchronization between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is completed. At this time, the line connection between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is not yet completed, and data such as notification of forgotten items cannot be transmitted / received.

  In the portable information terminal 2, when the service providing application 406 recognizes the completion of the synchronization of the Bluetooth communication, the passkey input unit 402 is inquired about the passkey of the synchronized Bluetooth communication (S120). Upon receiving the passkey inquiry, the passkey input unit 402 notifies the service providing application 406 of the passkey stored in the memory (S121). When the service providing application 406 recognizes the notified passkey, the passkey is input to Bluetooth, and a line connection is established between the Bluetooth communication unit 408 of the portable information terminal 2 and the Bluetooth communication unit 308 of the image processing apparatus 1 (S122). .

  The predetermined memory in which the passkey is stored may be a passkey setting memory. In this case, S120 and S121 are unnecessary.

  In the present embodiment, on the image processing apparatus 1 side, Bluetooth is automatically activated when use is detected. When the service providing application 406 is activated on the portable information terminal 2 side, the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 closest to the portable information terminal 2 and the pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 are received, and the user further receives the image processing apparatus 1. When Bluetooth approaches, Bluetooth is activated and communicates with the image processing apparatus 1. With this configuration, the Bluetooth communication is automatically connected between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2, and the user is not bothered by the operation when the Bluetooth communication is connected.

(Flow of lost item detection)
Next, the flow of processing for detecting forgotten items left in the image processing apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of detecting forgotten things in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the mobile information terminal 2a of the user 1 is paired with the image processing apparatus 1 and Bluetooth is connected.

  In S201, the copy of the user 1 is completed, and the user 1 moves outside a predetermined distance. The predetermined distance is, for example, 1 m which is a class 3 radio wave reachable range of Bluetooth communication. When the distance estimation unit 306 of the image processing device 1 estimates the distance from the portable information terminal 2a based on the radio wave intensity of the Bluetooth control unit 305 and transmits it to the device control unit 303, and determines that the device control unit 303 exceeds 1 m, In S202, the forgotten object is detected by the forgotten object detection unit 304. In this case, Bluetooth communication is performed with class 2 radio wave intensity.

  If a forgotten item is detected, the process proceeds to S203, the presence of the forgotten item is notified to the portable information terminal 2a via Bluetooth communication, and the portable information terminal 2a notifies the user 1 of the lost item. Thereafter, in S204, the Bluetooth communication connection between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a is released.

  In S <b> 202, if a forgotten object is not detected by the forgotten object detection unit 304, the process proceeds to S <b> 211. When the user 1 further moves, the connection distance range of Bluetooth communication is exceeded. For example, when the radio wave is set to class 2, the radio wave reachable range is 10 m. Therefore, when the user 1 moves to a place 10 m away from the image processing apparatus 1, the Bluetooth communication is disconnected. In S212, a Bluetooth communication connection release process between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a is performed.

  When the user moves and leaves the image processing apparatus 1, a forgotten item is detected, and when there is a forgotten item, the portable information terminal 2 is notified, so that the user can know the presence of the forgotten item, which is convenient.

  In this embodiment, after the portable information terminal 2a is notified of the presence of the forgotten thing in S203, the Bluetooth communication connection with the portable information terminal 2a is canceled in S204. However, when the user 1 is within a range of 10 m from the image processing apparatus 1, the portable information terminal 2a is notified of the lost item at regular intervals, and the portable information terminal 2a repeatedly notifies the user 1 of the lost item based on the notification. It is good also as a structure.

  In the present embodiment, the Bluetooth control unit 305 notifies the portable information terminal 2a of the presence of the forgotten item. However, the type of the forgotten item may be notified at the time of notification. The Bluetooth control unit 305 notifies the Bluetooth communication unit 408 of the portable information terminal of the detected forgotten item type, and the notification control unit 401 notifies the user 1 of the type of the forgotten item, for example, a document left in the ADF unit 10 or the output unit 13. You may notify that it is a document left behind.

  Furthermore, although the Bluetooth communication is disconnected when the user 1 moves and exceeds the reach of the radio wave, it may be disconnected when a certain time has elapsed after the start of the Bluetooth communication.

(Second Embodiment)
(Flow of lost item detection)
Next, the flow of lost article detection in the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the predetermined distance is 1 m, and the forgotten object detection unit 304 detects the forgotten object when the user 1 is separated from the image processing apparatus 1 by 1 m. In the second embodiment, the user 1 uses the image processing apparatus 1 and another user 2 uses the image processing apparatus 1 before the user 1 moves away from the image processing apparatus 1 by 1 m or more. Hereinafter, the difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the other will be omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of forgotten object detection in the second embodiment. It is assumed that the Bluetooth communication between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a of the user 1 is connected and the user 1 is within a predetermined distance from the image processing apparatus 1.

  In S <b> 301, the user 2 inserts coins into the image processing apparatus 1. Although coins are inserted here, operation of the operation unit 109 or insertion of an external memory may be performed as long as the use start detection unit 301 of the image processing apparatus 1 can detect the start of use. When use is detected, the forgotten object detection unit 304 detects the forgotten object in S302.

  If a forgotten item is detected, the process proceeds to S303, and the Bluetooth communication unit 308 notifies the forgotten item to the portable information terminal 2 that is continuously connected to the image processing apparatus 1. Thereafter, in S304, the Bluetooth communication connection between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a is released. If no forgotten thing is detected in S302, the process proceeds to S311 and the user 1 moves out of the Bluetooth communication connection distance. Thereafter, in S312, a Bluetooth communication connection release process between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a is performed.

(Sequence diagram for forgotten object detection)
Next, forgotten object detection in the second embodiment will be described using a sequence diagram. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of forgotten object detection processing according to the second embodiment. Use of the image processing apparatus 1 by the user 1 is detected, and Bluetooth communication between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2a possessed by the user 1 is connected. The user 2 has a portable information terminal 2b.

  The use end detection unit 302 detects the end of use of the image processing apparatus 1 of the user 1 and notifies the apparatus control unit 303 (S401). The end of use is detected as the end of use when the sensor 106 detects the settlement of the price accepted by the settlement unit 110, the operation termination instruction accepted by the operation unit 109, the removal of the external media accepted by the external media I / F 107, etc. . The device control unit 303 recognizes that the use of the user 1 has ended when detecting the end of use.

  Next, when the distance between the portable information terminal 2b of the user 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 approaches within a predetermined distance, Bluetooth communication is activated by the service providing application 406 of the portable information terminal 2b (S402). The procedure for starting Bluetooth communication is as described above. Note that it may precede the use end detection by the use end detection unit 302.

  When the user 2 uses the image processing apparatus 1, the use start detection unit 301 detects the start of use and notifies the apparatus control unit 303 (S403). The device control unit 303 receives the use start detection notification and notifies the Bluetooth control unit 305 of the start of use (S404). Upon receiving the notification from the device control unit 303, the Bluetooth control unit 305 confirms whether or not Bluetooth communication is being connected (S405). The Bluetooth control unit 305 confirms that the Bluetooth communication is being connected to the portable information terminal 2a, and notifies the device control unit 303 (S406).

  In response to the notification from the Bluetooth control unit 305, the device control unit 303 recognizes that the start of use has been detected during the Bluetooth communication connection, and instructs the forgotten item detection unit 304 to detect the forgotten item (S407). In response to the instruction to detect the lost item, the lost item detection unit 304 detects the lost item using the sensor 106 and transmits the detected lost item to the apparatus control unit 303 (S408).

  Upon receiving the notification of the lost item, the device control unit 303 notifies the Bluetooth control unit of the presence of the lost item (S409), and the Bluetooth communication unit 305 transmits the notification of the lost item to the service providing application 406 via the Bluetooth communication (S410). The service providing application 406 that has received the notification of the lost item notifies the notification control unit 401 of the lost item (S411), and the notification control unit 401 notifies the user 1 of the lost item. Thereafter, the Bluetooth service with the image processing apparatus 1 is disconnected by the service providing application 406 (S412).

  When the Bluetooth control unit 305 recognizes the disconnection of the Bluetooth communication, the Bluetooth control unit 305 makes an inquiry to another Bluetooth device via the Bluetooth communication unit 308 (S413). At this time, the Bluetooth control unit 305 has not yet recognized the portable information terminal 2b, and obtains responses from a plurality of Bluetooth devices. Next, a plurality of Bluetooth devices such as the Bluetooth communication unit 408 of the portable information terminal 2b respond to the inquiry (S414).

  The Bluetooth communication unit 308 receives responses from a plurality of Bluetooth devices including the portable information terminal 2b. The Bluetooth control unit 305 recognizes the radio wave intensities of the plurality of responses received by the Bluetooth communication unit 308 and notifies the distance estimation unit 306 (S415). The distance estimation unit 306 estimates the distance between each Bluetooth device and the image processing apparatus 1 based on the notified radio wave intensity. The distance estimation unit 306 transmits the estimated distance to the communication target specifying unit 307 (S416).

  The communication target specifying unit 307 specifies the portable information terminal 2b closest to the image processing apparatus 1 as a communication target of Bluetooth communication, and notifies the service providing application 406 (S417). Thereafter, the pass key is automatically input at the portable information terminal 2b, and the Bluetooth communication between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2b is connected.

  Even when the user 1 is still near the image processing apparatus 1, when another user 2 uses the image processing apparatus 1, the forgotten thing is detected and transmitted to the user 1, so that the user 1 can know the existence of the forgotten thing. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, functions of the portable information terminal 2 in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the portable information terminal 2 in the third embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and description of other points will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, the portable information terminal 2 includes a left-behind object determination unit 410, and the left-behind object detection unit 304 of the image processing apparatus 1 detects a left behind object at regular intervals. The detected remaining object is transmitted to the forgotten object determination unit 410 via the Bluetooth communication unit 408 each time. For example, when a document set on the ADF unit 10 is detected, the document is notified to the forgotten item determination unit 410 as a leftover object. The left-behind thing determination part 410 memorize | stores a left-over thing as a left-behind thing candidate.

  The forgotten object detection unit 304 notifies the portable information terminal 2 of the state of the left object as a detection result even when the left object is removed. The notification is stored in the forgotten item determination unit 410.

  When the Bluetooth communication connection between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is disconnected, the service providing application 406 notifies the forgotten item determination unit 410 of the disconnection. The left-behind item determination unit 410 determines that the left-behind item is a left-behind item when it is still disconnected at the time of disconnection, and notifies the notification control unit 401 of the left-behind item.

  Hereinafter, the flow of processing in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram of processing in the third embodiment. It is assumed that Bluetooth communication between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is connected.

  The user 1 starts using the image processing apparatus 1. The forgotten object detection unit 304 detects a leftover object, and notifies the apparatus control unit 303 when a leftover object is detected. Here, it is assumed that the USB memory inserted into the external memory insertion unit 12 is detected as a leftover object, and information that the USB memory is detected as a leftover object is notified from the forgotten object detection unit 304 to the device control unit 303 (S501). ).

  In response to the notification from the forgotten object detection unit 304, the device control unit 303 notifies the Bluetooth control unit 305 of information indicating that the USB memory has been detected (S502). Upon receiving the notification from the device control unit 303, the Bluetooth control unit transmits information that the USB memory is detected to the service providing application 406 of the portable information terminal 2a via the Bluetooth communication unit 308 (S503). The service providing application 406 informs the forgotten object determination unit 410 of the detected information of the USB memory based on the information received by Bluetooth communication (S504).

  Next, the forgotten object detection unit 304 detects the output object. Information indicating that an output has been detected is transmitted from the forgotten object determination unit 304 to the device control unit 303 (S511). In response to the notification from the forgotten object determination unit 304, the device control unit 303 informs the Bluetooth control unit 305 of the output object detection information (S512). In response to the notification from the device control unit 303, the Bluetooth1 control unit 305 transmits information indicating that the output is detected to the service providing application 406 via Bluetooth communication (S513). The service providing application 406 notifies the forgotten item determination unit 410 of the output detection information received from the Bluetooth control unit 305 (S513).

  Next, removal of the output object is detected by the forgotten object detection unit 304. Information indicating that the output has been removed is transmitted from the forgotten object detection unit 304 to the device control unit 303 (S521). The device control unit 303 notifies the Bluetooth control unit 305 of the output product removal information (S522), and the Bluetooth control unit 305 transmits the output product removal information to the service providing application 406 by Bluetooth communication (S523).

  The service providing application 406 notifies the forgotten item determination unit 410 of the output removal information received from the Bluetooth communication unit 305 (S524). The forgotten thing determination unit 410 receives the information on the output matter removal and deletes the information on the output matter detection. As a result, information of “USB memory detection”, “output detection”, and “output removal” is stored in the forgotten thing determination unit 410 at this time.

  When the user 1 is separated from the image processing apparatus 1 by 10 m, the Bluetooth communication between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 is disconnected (S531). The service providing application 406 recognizes the disconnection of the Bluetooth communication and notifies the forgotten object determination unit 410 of the disconnection of the Bluetooth communication (S532). The left-behind thing determination part 410 determines a left-behind thing from the information memorize | stored at the time of Bluetooth disconnection. In this case, since the removal of the USB memory is not detected, the USB memory is determined to be forgotten. The forgotten item determination unit 410 notifies the notification control unit 401 of the forgotten item (S533), and the notification control unit 401 notifies the user of the forgotten item.

  In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 1 transmits the detected information to the portable information terminal 2 each time, and the portable information terminal 2 determines the forgotten item. The image processing apparatus 1 does not need to monitor the distance from the portable information terminal 2 and can notify a forgotten thing with a simple processing process.

  Here, it is assumed that the Bluetooth communication is disconnected when the user 1 moves beyond the connection distance range of the Bluetooth communication, but the image processing apparatus 1 detects the use of the next user 2 before the user 1 moves. In this case, the Bluetooth communication may be disconnected. In that case, when the end of use of the image processing apparatus 1 is detected during the Bluetooth communication connection with the portable information terminal 2 of the user 1 and then the start of use is detected, it is determined that the user 2 has used the image processing apparatus 1. The Bluetooth communication with the user 1 may be disconnected.

  In this configuration, the point of notifying a user who has left something is the same as in the first and second embodiments, but when the next user starts using, the connection of Bluetooth communication is disconnected and the connection with the next user is started. Can improve the overall processing speed.

(Fourth embodiment)
(Functions of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2)
In the first to third embodiments described above, in order for the portable information terminal 2 to activate Bluetooth, the position information of the portable information terminal 2 is acquired using the GPS function, and the image processing apparatus is acquired from an external server. The position information of 1 was acquired and the distance was recognized. In the present embodiment, the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 is recognized using WiFi (registered trademark) communication. A description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment is omitted. FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 in the fourth embodiment.

  The image processing apparatus 1 includes a WiFi control unit 309 and a WiFi interface unit 310. The portable information terminal 2 includes a WiFi control unit 419 and a WiFi interface unit 420.

  The image processing apparatus 1 has a so-called access point function in WiFi communication. The WiFi control unit 309 transmits a beacon signal to the mobile information terminal 2 that is a client, and controls the WiFi interface unit 310 so as to communicate with the mobile information terminal 2 in response to an inquiry from the information processing terminal 2. The WiFi interface unit 310 communicates with the image processing apparatus 1 and the WiFi interfaces of other devices under the control of the WiFi control unit 309.

  The WiFi interface unit 420 of the portable information terminal 2 communicates with a WiFi interface such as a WiFi access point under the control of the WiFi control unit 419. The WiFi control unit 419 of the portable information terminal 2 receives a beacon signal from the access point, inquires whether communication is possible, and communicates with the image forming apparatus 1 if communication is possible.

  The mobile information terminal 2 is downloaded with an application for confirming the distance to the access point using WiFi communication. The WiFi control unit transmits the MAC address and signal strength of the image processing device 1 included in the WiFi signal received from the image processing device 1 to the external server 501 via the interface unit 405.

  Since the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 that is an access point is registered in advance in the external server 501, the external server 501 specifies the position of the portable information terminal 2 from the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 and the radio wave intensity of WiFi. The image information is transmitted to the interface unit 405 together with the position information of the image processing apparatus 1.

  The position information of the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 acquired from the external server 501 is notified from the interface unit 405 to the server information transmission / reception unit 403 and is transmitted to the distance recognition unit 407. The distance recognition unit 407 calculates the distance between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal from the position information between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 based on the downloaded distance recognition application. Activate Bluetooth when the distance falls below a certain level.

  In the first to third embodiments, the Bluetooth passkey is acquired from the external server 501, but the portable information terminal 2 can also acquire the passkey through WiFi communication. The image processing apparatus 1 transmits a beacon signal at a predetermined interval as an access point, but the beacon signal may include a pass key. In this case, the WiFi control unit 419 of the portable information terminal 2 that has received the signal via the WiFi interface unit 420 notifies the passkey input unit 402 of the passkey.

  Note that the portable information terminal 2 may directly recognize the distance from the image processing apparatus 1 based on the signal strength of the WiFi signal received by the portable information terminal 2 from the image processing apparatus 1. In this case, the WiFi control unit 419 notifies the signal strength to the distance recognition unit 407, and the distance recognition unit 407 controls to calculate the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing device 1 based on the signal strength.

(Processing until Bluetooth communication connection)
Next, processing up to connection of Bluetooth communication in the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of processing until Bluetooth communication is connected in the fourth embodiment.

  First, the WiFi control unit 309 of the image processing apparatus 1 transmits a beacon signal via the WiFi interface 310. The transmitted signal is received by the WiFi control unit 419 of the portable information terminal 2 via the WiFi interface 420 (S601). The WiFi control unit 419 notifies the interface unit 405 of the MAC address of the image processing apparatus 1 included in the received signal and the signal strength of the received signal (S602). The interface unit 405 notifies the external server of the MAC address and received signal strength of the image processing apparatus 1 (S603).

  In the external server 501, position information of the image processing apparatus 1 that is a WiFi access point is registered in advance. The external server 501 identifies the image processing apparatus 1 that has transmitted the WiFi signal to the portable information terminal 2 based on the MAC address received from the portable information terminal image 2, and the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 and the WiFi signal strength. Based on the above, the position of the portable information terminal 2 is specified. The position information of the specified portable information terminal 2 and the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 corresponding to the MAC address included in the WiFi signal are sent from the external server 501 to the server information transmission / reception unit 403 via the interface unit 405. It is transmitted (S604).

  The server information transmission / reception unit 403 notifies the distance recognition unit 407 of the mobile information terminal 2 and the position information of the image processing apparatus 1 received from the external server (S605). The distance recognizing unit 407 recognizes the distance between the portable information terminal 2 and the image processing apparatus 1 from the notified information, and notifies the service providing application 406 when the distance falls below a certain numerical value (S606). The service providing application 406 activates Bluetooth (S607).

  The WiFi control unit 309 of the image processing apparatus 1 constantly transmits a WiFi signal via the WiFi interface 310, but the pass key used for Bluetooth communication of the image processing apparatus 1 is also included in the WiFi signal and transmitted. Yes. The WiFi control unit 419 of the portable information terminal 1 receives the pass key of the image processing apparatus 1 by WiFi communication (S608). Note that the reception of the pass key at this time may be performed at S601. The passkey is notified from the WiFi control unit 419 to the passkey input unit 402 (S609) and stored in a predetermined memory.

  The process from when the use start detection unit 301 of the image processing apparatus 1 detects the start of use of the image processing apparatus to when the Bluetooth communication line is connected between the image processing apparatus 1 and the portable information terminal 2 (S610). To S622), the processing is similar to the processing from S110 to S122 in FIG. With this configuration, the portable information terminal 2 can easily recognize the distance from the image processing apparatus 1 without depending on the satellite.

  In the fourth embodiment, the portable information terminal 2 acquires a Bluetooth communication passkey using WiFi communication, and notifies the forgotten thing using Bluetooth communication established by inputting the passkey. It is good also as performing notification of WiFi by WiFi communication. In this case, when the portable information terminal 1 responds to the beacon signal transmitted from the image processing apparatus 1 and the WiFi communication is established, if the forgotten object detection unit 304 of the image processing apparatus 1 detects the forgotten object, the WiFi control unit 309. Is configured to receive a notification from the forgotten object detection unit 304. The WiFi control unit 309 generates a signal (frame) for notifying a forgotten item and transmits the signal (frame) to the information processing terminal 2 using WiFi communication.

(Fifth embodiment)
(Function of the image processing apparatus 1)
Next, using the Bluetooth communication between the image processing device 1 and the portable information terminal 2, the image processing device 1 acquires information about the user of the portable information terminal 2, and prints an advertisement according to the acquired information. Embodiments will be described. In the fifth embodiment, the user registers information related to the user (for example, age, sex, etc.) in the portable information terminal 2 in advance. The image processing apparatus 1 acquires information via Bluetooth communication, acquires an advertisement corresponding to the user information from the server, and prints the advertisement on the back surface of the output paper. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the image processing apparatus 1 according to the fifth embodiment. The description of the same parts as those in the above embodiment is omitted.

  The image processing apparatus 1 includes an advertisement control unit 311, a user information acquisition unit 312, an advertisement generation unit 313, a network I / F 314, and a process reception unit 320. The external server 501 includes at least a network I / F 511, an advertisement control unit 510, an advertisement history storage unit 512, and an advertisement information storage unit 513.

  The user inputs information related to the user in the portable information terminal 2 in advance. The information related to the user is, for example, information such as age, sex, job type, hobbies, and the like, and information is registered by a method such as answering a questionnaire presented by the service providing application 406. The registration information is acquired by the user information acquisition unit 312 via Bluetooth communication.

  The process accepting unit 320 accepts a predetermined process such as a copy process in the image processing apparatus 1. When receiving a predetermined process, the process receiving unit 320 also receives an input as to whether or not to allow generation of an advertisement. The advertisement control unit 311 controls the generation and output of advertisements when the process reception unit 320 permits the generation of advertisements.

  The advertisement generation unit 313 outputs the advertisement image received from the external server 501. When the advertisement image is output, for example, when the copy process is performed, the advertisement image is formed on the back surface or margin of the output sheet. A network I / F 314 is an interface for a network that passes through the image processing apparatus 1 and the external server 501.

  A network I / F 511 of the external server 501 is a network interface with other devices including the image processing apparatus 1. The advertisement control unit 510 analyzes information about the user registered in the portable information terminal 2, selects an advertisement corresponding to the user, and controls transmission / reception of the advertisement. The advertisement information storage unit 513 is a storage unit that accumulates advertisements. The advertisement history storage unit 512 stores history information indicating which advertisement is output to which user for each user.

(Processing of the image processing apparatus 1)
Next, processing of the image processing apparatus 1 in the fifth embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram of processing of the image processing apparatus according to the fifth embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that the user has previously registered user-related information, which is information related to the user, in the portable information terminal 2 and the Bluetooth communication line between the image processing device 1 and the portable information terminal 2 is connected. .

  The process reception unit 320 receives an operation for permitting the advertisement, and notifies the user information acquisition unit 312 of information indicating that the advertisement is permitted (S701). The user information acquisition unit 312 requests user-related information from the Bluetooth control unit 303 (S702). The Bluetooth control unit 305 notifies the user information acquisition unit 312 of user-related information acquired from the portable information terminal 2 via Bluetooth communication (S703).

  The user information acquisition unit 312 notifies the advertisement control unit 311 of user-related information and information indicating advertisement permission (S704). The advertisement control unit 311 transmits the user related information to the network I / F 314 to transmit the user related information to the external server 501 based on the advertisement permission information (S705).

  When the network I / F 511 of the external server 501 receives user-related information via the network (S706), the user-related information is notified to the advertisement control unit 510 (S707). The advertisement control unit 510 analyzes the user related information (S708). Further, the advertisement control unit 510 inquires the advertisement history storage unit 513 about the history of the advertisement transmitted to the user based on the user identification information included in the received information (S709).

  The advertisement control unit 510 acquires the advertisement history from the advertisement history storage unit 513 (S710), and requests the advertisement information storage unit 512 for an advertisement corresponding to the user related information and not yet displayed to the user. (S711). The advertisement control unit 510 acquires an advertisement according to the request from the advertisement information storage unit 512 (S712).

  The advertisement control unit 510 notifies the network I / F 511 to transmit the advertisement acquired from the advertisement information storage unit 512 to the image processing apparatus 1 (S713). On the other hand, the advertisement control unit 510 updates the history by associating the acquired advertisement with the identification information of the user (S714). The network I / F 314 of the image processing apparatus 1 receives the advertisement from the external server 501 via the network (S715), and the advertisement control unit 311 acquires the advertisement from the network I / F 314 (S716). When the advertisement control unit 715 notifies the advertisement generation unit 313 of the acquired advertisement (S717), the advertisement generation unit 313 forms an advertisement on the back side of the output sheet and outputs it (S718).

  When Bluetooth communication is established between the user and the image processing apparatus 1, an advertisement distribution service suitable for the user can be provided by acquiring and using information related to the user. For a user who has permitted an advertisement, for example, by providing a service that discounts the printing fee or adds a discount coupon to the advertisement, a service that is beneficial not only to the advertisement distribution side but also to the user is realized. Also, by storing the history, a different advertisement can be distributed next time.

(Modification)
In the above description, the user has performed an operation for permitting the formation of an advertisement at the time of a copy instruction. However, when registering user-related information in the portable information terminal 2, whether or not the advertisement can be formed is also indicated in the portable information terminal. 2 may be configured to be registered. If the user is willing to form an advertisement on the back side, registering advertisement permission in the portable information terminal 2 in advance saves the user the trouble of permitting the image processing apparatus 1 and provides the benefit of the advertisement. You can enjoy it.

(Correspondence of each claim)
In this specification, Bluetooth communication corresponds to short-range wireless communication, and forgotten things correspond to leftovers. User-related information corresponds to owner information.

  As mentioned above, although this invention has been demonstrated based on each embodiment, this invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the said embodiment. With respect to these points, the gist of the present invention can be changed without departing from the scope of the present invention, and can be appropriately determined according to the application form.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image processing apparatus 2 Portable information terminal 301 Use start detection part 302 Use end detection part 303 Device control part 304 Lost thing detection part 305 Bluetooth control part 306 Distance estimation part 307 Communication object specification part 308 Bluetooth communication part 311 Advertisement control part 312 User information Acquisition unit 313 Advertisement generation unit 403 Server information transmission / reception unit 404 Location information recognition unit 406 Service providing application 408 Bluetooth communication unit 419 WiFi control unit

JP 2010-154030 A

Claims (12)

Short-range wireless communication means that is activated when the use of the image processing apparatus is detected and performs short-range wireless communication with the portable information terminal;
A communication target specifying means for specifying the portable information terminal that performs short-range wireless communication with the image processing device based on the radio field intensity of the short-range wireless communication;
The short-range wireless communication unit performs short-range wireless communication connection with the portable information terminal specified by the communication target specifying unit. It is a thing provided for use of the image processing apparatus, and has a left object detection means for detecting a left object left in the image processing apparatus,
The short-range wireless communication unit notifies the portable information terminal having a left object notification function among the portable information terminals specified by the communication target specifying unit, of the presence of the left object. Item 6. The image processing apparatus according to Item 1. Based on the radio field intensity of the short-range wireless communication, the distance estimation means for estimating the distance between the image processing apparatus and the portable information terminal specified by the communication target specifying means,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the left object detection unit detects the left object when the distance estimated by the distance estimation unit exceeds a predetermined distance. Use detecting means for detecting use of the image processing apparatus;
Completion detection means for detecting completion of the use;
Connection recognition means for recognizing whether or not the short-range wireless communication is connected,
The left object detection means detects the left object when a new use is detected after the use of the image processing apparatus is completed when the short-range wireless communication is connected. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2. The left object detection means detects the left object at a predetermined time interval,
The image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit performs notification when the remaining object is detected. Owner information acquisition means for acquiring, from the portable information terminal, owner information related to the owner of the portable information terminal and permission / rejection information indicating permission / prohibition of advertisement printing by the short-range wireless communication;
When the permission / refusal information acquired by the owner information acquisition means is information indicating printing permission, the advertisement image corresponding to the owner information is acquired from an information processing apparatus having an advertisement image connected via a network. Advertisement acquisition means;
Image forming means for forming the advertisement image;
The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A short-range wireless communication procedure that is started when the use of the image processing device is detected, and performs short-range wireless communication with the portable information terminal;
A communication target specifying procedure for specifying the portable information terminal closest to the image processing device as a proximity portable information terminal based on the radio field intensity of the short-range wireless communication;
In the short-range wireless communication procedure, short-range wireless communication is connected to the proximity portable information terminal.   A communication program for causing a computer to execute the communication method according to claim 7. A portable information terminal that performs short-range wireless communication with the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Position recognition means for recognizing the position of the portable information terminal;
Information acquisition means for acquiring position information of the image processing apparatus and recognition information corresponding to the image processing apparatus from an information processing apparatus connected to the portable information terminal via a network;
Short-distance wireless communication means that is activated when the distance between the portable information terminal and the image processing apparatus is equal to or less than a predetermined distance;
The short-range wireless communication means connects the image processing apparatus corresponding to the acquired recognition information and short-range wireless communication.   The portable information terminal according to claim 9, wherein the position recognition unit recognizes a position based on position information acquired by GPS. A portable information terminal that performs short-range wireless communication with the image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Distance recognition means for detecting a distance between the portable information terminal and the image processing device based on a signal received by WiFi communication from the image processing device;
Short-range wireless communication means that is activated when the distance becomes a predetermined numerical value or less,
The portable information terminal according to claim 9, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit connects the image processing apparatus and short-range wireless communication. An information processing system comprising a portable information terminal and an image processing apparatus that performs short-range wireless communication with the portable information terminal,
The portable information terminal
Distance recognition means for recognizing the distance to the image processing device;
A first short-range wireless communication unit that is activated when a distance from the image processing device falls below a predetermined distance and that performs short-range wireless communication with the image processing device;
The image processing apparatus includes:
A communication target specifying means for specifying the portable information terminal closest to the image processing device based on the radio field intensity of the short-range wireless communication;
A second short-range radio that is activated when the use of the image processing apparatus is detected and performs short-range radio communication with the first short-range radio communication unit of the portable information terminal specified by the communication target specifying unit An information processing system comprising communication means.

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