JP2015156217A - Information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor capable of reducing the printing time.

SOLUTION: An information processor includes: a detection part 11 for detecting a transmission instruction for print object data; a display part 12 for displaying a setting screen for print conditions; a generation part 13 for determining print conditions on the basis of a user's operation, and generating print condition data; a transmission part 14 for transmitting the print object data and the print condition data to an image forming apparatus; and a control part 15 for performing a control to cause the transmission part 14 to transmit the print object data to the image forming apparatus, the display part 12 to display the setting screen for the print conditions, the generation part 13 to generate the print condition data, and the transmission part 14 to transmit the print condition data to the image forming apparatus, when the detection part 11 detects the transmission instruction.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2015,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of image formation, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus.

  Conventionally, there is a technique for displaying print settings (for example, see Patent Document 1). For example, an image forming apparatus such as a printer needs to set printing conditions with a portable terminal, and further send a target (print target data) that needs to be printed with the portable terminal to the image forming apparatus to perform a printing operation. There is.

  Here, a short-range wireless communication technique is used in the process of transmitting an object that needs to be printed from the portable terminal to the image forming apparatus. NFC (Near Field Communication) is one of the international standards for short-range wireless communication technology, and NFC is used for information acquired by data and applications inside smartphones equipped with the NFC function. The greatest feature is that it is possible to realize high-speed transfer only by bringing the communication device close to the function.

  It should be noted that the above introduction to the background art is described in order to clearly and completely explain the technical solution of the present invention and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. These technical solutions are merely described in the background art of the present invention, and the technical solutions should not be considered well known to those skilled in the art.

JP 2009-87018 A

  In the process of realizing the present invention, the start of data transfer after a print instruction is issued due to the limitation of the communication speed in near field communication has a long waiting time for the user, while the image data is the data to be printed. It has been found that the larger the data size, the longer it takes to transmit the image data from the portable terminal to the image forming apparatus.

  The present invention provides an information processing apparatus in order to solve the technical problem.

  An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a detection unit that detects a transmission instruction for print target data; a display unit that displays a print condition setting screen; A generation unit that generates print condition data based on a condition; a transmission unit that transmits the print target data and the print condition data to an image forming apparatus; and when the detection unit detects the transmission instruction, the transmission unit The print target data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus, the print condition setting screen is displayed on the display unit, the print condition data is generated on the generation unit, and the transmission unit is generated. A control unit that controls the image forming apparatus to transmit the printing condition data.

  An information processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a detection unit that detects a communication connection with an image forming apparatus, a display unit that displays a data transfer screen, a transmission unit that transmits print data to the image forming apparatus, A control unit that controls the transmission unit to transmit the print data to the image forming apparatus and to display the data transfer screen on the display unit when the detection unit detects a communication connection; Is provided.

  According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, since the image data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus while the user performs the print setting by the portable terminal, the total time for the print setting and the image data transmission is reduced and the printing time is also shortened. And has a beneficial effect of improving the user experience.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a usage-type schematic diagram of the information processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system including an information processing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the whole operation | movement of the portable terminal for printing. 3 is a flowchart of an overall operation of the image forming apparatus for printing. It is a data transfer flowchart of a portable terminal. It is a setting screen schematic diagram of preceding data transfer. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the portable terminal at the time of printing cancellation. 6 is a flowchart of the operation of the image forming apparatus when printing is canceled. It is a flowchart of operation | movement of the portable terminal at the time of a connection interruption. 5 is a flowchart of the operation of the image forming apparatus when connection is interrupted. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system including an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flowchart when using print settings. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a print setting screen at the time of initial printing. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a print setting screen for performing printing by setting of an image forming apparatus during normal printing after initial printing. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a print setting screen for performing printing according to personal settings during normal printing after initial printing. It is a setting screen schematic diagram when changing the setting information of each kind with a portable terminal. It is a process flowchart of a portable terminal when a user sets automatic printing. 6 is a process flowchart of the image forming apparatus when the user sets automatic printing.

  Each embodiment of the present description will be described with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention.

  Referring to the following description and drawings, specific embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail, and the forms in which the principles of the present invention can be employed are specified. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the scope described in the following description and drawings. Without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims, embodiments of the invention include equivalents to multiple changes and modifications.

  The components described and / or shown for one embodiment may be used in one or more other embodiments in the same or similar form, and may be used in the same manner as in other embodiments. They can be combined or replaced with the constituent elements in other embodiments.

  Also, the terms “comprising” and “including” are used herein to refer to the presence of a feature, whole, step or component, but one or more other features, whole, step or component are It should be noted that the presence or addition is not excluded.

  A number of aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the drawings. The members in the drawings are not drawn to scale, but are drawn merely to illustrate the principles of the invention. Corresponding parts in the drawings may be enlarged or reduced in order to display or describe certain parts of the invention. Elements and components described in one drawing or embodiment of the invention may be combined with elements and components shown in one or more other drawings or embodiments. Also, in the drawings, like numerals indicate corresponding members in all drawings and are used to indicate corresponding members used in one or more embodiments.

  An embodiment of the present invention provides an information processing apparatus. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the information processing apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus includes a detection unit 11, a display unit 12, a generation unit 13, a transmission unit 14, and a control unit 15.

  The detection unit 11 detects a transmission instruction for print target data. Here, the print target data may be image data or other text data, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The display unit 12 displays a print condition setting screen. Here, the display unit 12 can display various types of information as necessary, in addition to displaying a print condition setting screen.

  The generation unit 13 determines printing conditions based on a user operation, and generates printing condition data. Here, the user sets print information based on the print condition setting screen displayed by the display unit 12, and the generation unit 13 determines the print condition based on the user operation. Is generated.

  The transmission unit 14 transmits the print target data and the print condition data to the image forming apparatus. Here, the data to be printed may be a file currently being operated or another preset file, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  When the detection unit 11 detects the transmission instruction, the control unit 15 causes the transmission unit 14 to transmit the print target data to the image forming apparatus, and sets the print condition to the display unit 12. A screen is displayed, the generation unit 13 is caused to generate the printing condition data, and the transmission unit 14 is controlled to transmit the printing condition data to the image forming apparatus. Here, under the control of the control unit 15, the print target data and the user setting print conditions are synchronized and transmitted in parallel, so the total time for print setting and image data transmission is reduced, the printing time is shortened, and the user The experience is improved.

  In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the transmission instruction is an instruction for communication connection with the image forming apparatus. That is, when the detection unit 11 detects that the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus are in a connected state, an instruction to transmit print target data is detected. Of course, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and the transmission instruction may be caused by an external user. For example, the user's operation to the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is performed. The transmission instruction can also be used.

  In one aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, when the detection unit 11 detects the transmission instruction, the control unit 15 controls the transmission unit 14 to transmit a warm-up instruction to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus warms up in response to the warming up instruction, and completes the printing process for the received print target data based on the received print condition data.

  In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, the information processing apparatus further includes a setting reading unit 16 that reads at least one of internal setting information of the information processing apparatus and setting information of the image forming apparatus, and the control unit 15 Controls the display unit 12 to display the internal setting information of the information processing apparatus read by the setting reading unit 16 and the setting information of the image forming apparatus read by the setting reading unit 16.

  In this embodiment, after receiving an instruction to save the setting from the user, the control unit 15 controls the generation unit 13 to write the current setting to the internal setting of the information processing apparatus.

  The present invention provides a detection unit that detects a communication connection with an image forming apparatus, a display unit that displays a data transfer screen, a transmission unit that transmits print data to the image forming apparatus, and a detection unit that detects a communication connection. And a control unit that causes the transmission unit to transmit the print data to the image forming apparatus and controls the display unit to display the data transfer screen. . In one embodiment, when the detection unit detects a communication connection, the control unit further controls the transmission unit to transmit a warm-up instruction to the image forming apparatus. Here, the internally set printing conditions may be stored last time or may be default, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

  In one aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a mobile facility. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and any of the terminals capable of realizing the configuration and function of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the information processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. It can be applied as a device. The information processing apparatus according to the embodiment may be an apparatus having an NFC communication function or another short-range communication function, for example.

  In order to make the configuration and functions of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention clearer and easier to understand, the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a usage pattern of the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of this invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the print target data 21 is stored in advance in the mobile terminal 22, and when the user 20 places the mobile terminal 22 in the communication facility 23 provided in the image forming apparatus 24, The image forming apparatus 24 can perform communication and operation for printing.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal 22 functions as the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. An example of the image forming apparatus 24 may be a printing facility.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the image forming system. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming system includes a portable terminal 31 and an image forming apparatus 32 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 31 mainly includes a software part 311 and a hardware part 312. Here, the software part 311 is realized by cooperation of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a RAM (Random-Access Memory: random access memory) (not shown), and includes a data transfer service unit 3111, a control unit 3112, and a setting management unit. 3113, a screen control unit 3114, and a connection service unit 3115 may be provided, and optionally a data analysis unit 3116 may be further provided. The hardware portion 312 may include a storage unit 3121, a touch panel unit 3122, and a communication unit 3123.

  The storage unit 3121 is a component such as a ROM (Read-Only Memory), an SD (Secure Digital Memory Card) (registered trademark), or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive: hard disk drive). Print target data 21 and print setting information are stored. The print target data 21 and the print setting information are called / written by the setting management unit 3113 included in the software part 311.

  The touch panel unit 3122 is a component that can display a screen and accepts a manual operation input of the user 20, and realizes information exchange between the mobile terminal and the user 20. Here, the output screen and the input information are transmitted / acquired by the screen control unit 3114 included in the software part 311. Here, the touch panel unit 3122 may be realized by a touch panel or may be realized by a monitor and operation buttons, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. In this embodiment mode, the touch panel portion 3122 functions as a display portion of the embodiment mode of the present invention. The screen control unit 3114 functions as a generation unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication unit 3123 is a hardware component that can realize a near field communication function (for example, an NFC function), and realizes physical communication of information between the communication units 3223 attached to the image forming apparatus. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 3123 functions as the detection unit of the embodiment of the present invention.

  The connection service unit 3115 is software that runs on a mobile terminal. When the distance between the communication unit 3123 of the mobile terminal and the communication unit 3223 of the image forming apparatus changes from a long distance to a short distance, communication can be performed according to a communication protocol. Both communication units are made to recognize each other, and an accurate wireless connection state is ensured from an unconnected state.

  The control unit 3112 is a software provided in the mobile terminal that controls each software component operating in the mobile terminal so as to realize data printing from the mobile terminal by controlling the overall operation flow of each software of the mobile terminal. It is. In the present embodiment, the control unit 3112 functions as the control unit of the embodiment of the present invention.

  The data analysis unit 3116 is software that converts the data format of the print target data 21 stored in advance in the portable terminal so that the image forming apparatus can recognize the data.

  The data transfer service unit 3111 is software that uses the communication unit 3123 to transfer the print target data output from the data analysis unit 3116 to the image forming apparatus. In the present embodiment, the data transfer service unit 3111 functions as the transmission unit of the embodiment of the present invention.

  Still referring to FIG. 3, the image forming apparatus 32 includes a software portion 321 and a hardware portion 322. Here, the software portion 321 is realized by cooperation of a CPU and a RAM (not shown), and may include an overall control unit 3211, a drive unit 3212, a data communication unit 3213, and a data processing unit 3214. The hardware portion 322 is a print A unit 3221, an operation unit 3222, a communication unit 3223, and a storage unit 3224 may be provided.

  The overall control unit 3211 is software that controls each software component that operates in the image forming apparatus in order to realize data printing from the portable terminal that moves (executes) in the image forming apparatus. The overall control unit 3211 controls the overall operation flow of each software in the image forming apparatus.

  The drive unit 3212 is a software component for realizing data communication with the portable terminal using the communication unit 3223 of the image forming apparatus. Here, like the communication unit 3123 of the portable terminal, the communication unit 3223 of the image forming apparatus may be a component having an NFC function. In this case, the driving unit 3212 is an NFC driving unit.

  The data communication unit 3213 distributes the data received from the drive unit 3212 to each component in the image forming apparatus.

  The data processing unit 3214 processes print data passed from the data communication unit 3213 or called from the storage unit 3224 of the image forming apparatus. Here, like the storage unit 3121 of the portable terminal, the storage unit 3224 of the image forming apparatus may be a component such as a ROM, SD, or HDD.

  The printing unit 3221 is a component that is mounted on the image forming apparatus and outputs actual print data.

  The operation unit 3222 includes components for presenting information from the user 20 and components for receiving an operation from the user 20, which are mounted on the image forming apparatus. In this embodiment mode, the operation unit 3222 is realized by a combination of a touch panel or a monitor and an operation button, but the embodiment mode of the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 4a is a flowchart of the overall operation of the mobile terminal according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4a, the flowchart includes the following steps.

Step 401: The connection service unit 3115 of the portable terminal operates in conjunction with the drive unit and the data communication unit of the image forming apparatus when the user 20 leaves the portable terminal with the print target data 21 in the communication facility 23 of the image forming apparatus. A connection between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus is secured.
According to the process of step 401, the detection unit (communication unit) of the mobile terminal can detect the connection. Then, each process between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus is performed in parallel.
Step 402: A print screen is displayed on the display unit (touch panel unit) of the portable terminal.
Step 403: The generation unit (screen control unit) of the portable terminal waits for a print instruction.
Step 404: The generation unit (screen control unit) of the portable terminal generates print condition data in accordance with the print instruction.
Step 405: The transmission unit (data transfer service unit) of the portable terminal transmits the generated printing condition data to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit of the portable terminal.

  Steps 402 to 405 are completed by being controlled by the control unit of the mobile terminal. In step 402, the print screen is displayed to present the print setting information to the user 20, and the user 20 sets the print conditions by operating the portable terminal. In step 403, the generation unit of the mobile terminal waits until receiving an instruction “Please print” from the user 20. In step 404, upon receiving a print instruction from the user 20, the generation unit of the portable terminal generates print condition data. In step 405, the transmission unit of the mobile terminal generates print condition data, and then transmits the print condition data to the image forming apparatus. Alternatively, in step 404, after receiving a print instruction from the user 20, the currently displayed screen is deleted.

  As what is executed in parallel with steps 402 to 405, the portable terminal can execute the following steps simultaneously.

  Step 406: The data transfer service unit of the portable terminal transmits the print target data to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit.

  In step 406, after the connection is detected by the detection unit of the portable terminal, the processing in step 406 is started. Then, data communication is performed in conjunction with the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus, and the print target data in the portable terminal is transferred to the image forming apparatus.

  As the steps executed in parallel with steps 402 to 405 and step 406, the portable terminal can execute the following steps at the same time.

  Step 407: The data transfer service unit of the portable terminal transmits the warm-up instruction data to the image forming apparatus through the communication unit, and then the image forming apparatus executes the warm-up process so that the printing operation can be started early. To do.

  In the present embodiment, when the parallel processing is completed, the image forming apparatus uses the printing unit to start printing and output print data.

  FIG. 4b shows a flowchart of the overall operation on the image forming apparatus side corresponding to the portable terminal of the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 4b, in the image forming apparatus, as in the case of the portable terminal, first, a connection between the image forming apparatus and the portable terminal is secured (step 401b). Thereafter, the image forming apparatus receives the print target data transmitted from the portable terminal (step 402b) and also receives the print condition data transmitted from the portable terminal (step 403b). Finally, based on the print condition data. The print target data is printed (step 404b). Since the print target data and the print condition data are received in parallel, the time for the entire printing operation can be shortened. Alternatively, in response to the portable terminal, the image forming apparatus can also receive a warm-up instruction transmitted from the portable terminal (step 405b). Then, the image forming apparatus receives the print target data and the print condition data and warms up. When printing target data and printing condition data are received, printing is started, so that the printing time can be further shortened.

  FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of data transfer from the portable terminal to the image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 5, the steps include:

Step 501: The control unit determines a user setting.
Step 502: The control unit determines whether the data advance transfer function is valid / invalid. If it is valid, step 503 is executed. If it is invalid, the process is terminated.
Step 503: The control unit secures a sufficient storage area in the storage unit.
Step 504: The control unit controls the data transfer service unit to perform data transmission.
Step 505: The control unit controls the data analysis unit to perform data analysis.

  In the first embodiment, when the portable terminal has a setting related to the validity / invalidity of the data advance transfer function, the user can start or stop the data advance transfer function. In step 501, at the start of processing, the control unit can obtain the current value of the related setting, and in step 502, the control unit is obtained to determine whether to enable the function. The value is determined. If the function setting is valid, in step 503, the control unit secures an area for storing data in the storage unit, and in step 504, the control unit transfers data to the data transfer service unit. To control. In step 505, data processing is performed, and the data is converted into a form that can be identified by the image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 6 shows a screen for changing settings related to the validity / invalidity of the data advance transfer function in the portable terminal. When the user 20 changes the setting from invalid to valid on the data advance transfer setting screen 61, a screen 62 is displayed that displays an explanation / contract for transferring data in advance. If the user 20 agrees to this rule, the data advance transfer setting is validated. If the user 20 does not agree with this rule, the data advance transfer setting is not enabled.

  7a and 7b show a flowchart of the canceling operation when the user 20 does not print after the print setting information is presented. Here, FIG. 7A is a process flowchart on the non-portable end side, and FIG. 7B is a process flowchart on the image forming apparatus side.

  Referring to FIG. 7a, the processing on the mobile terminal side includes the following.

Step 701: When the user selects cancel from the print screen, the control unit of the portable terminal controls the display unit to display the cancel screen.
Step 702: The control unit of the mobile terminal determines whether or not the user confirms cancellation based on the user's operation. If the user confirms cancellation, the control unit executes step 703, and if the user does not confirm cancellation, Exit.
Step 703: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the data transfer service unit to stop the data transfer and erase the currently displayed print screen.
Step 704: The process ends.

  In this way, the operation of canceling the printing work is completed on the portable terminal side.

  Referring to FIG. 7b, the processing on the image forming apparatus side includes the following.

Step 701b: The overall control unit of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not to stop the data transfer. If so, execute step 702b. If not, continue the step 701b.
Step 702b: The general control unit of the image forming apparatus controls the storage unit to delete the stored data.
Step 703b: The general control unit of the image forming apparatus returns the image forming apparatus from the warming state to the normal state.

  In the present embodiment, when the user 20 selects print cancellation, the display unit of the mobile terminal first displays a confirmation screen as to whether or not to actually execute the cancel operation. When the user 20 selects “do not execute”, the cancel operation is terminated. When the user 20 selects “execute”, the display screen is erased and the related end processing is performed. In parallel, the control unit of the portable terminal controls the data transfer service unit to interrupt the data transfer currently being executed. Therefore, the general control unit of the image forming apparatus can delete the already transferred data from the storage unit and return the state of the image forming apparatus from the warming state to the normal state.

  8a and 8b show that a communication failure occurs between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus when the user 20 removes the portable terminal from the communication equipment 23 of the image forming apparatus during communication between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus. The flowchart of the operation | movement when doing is shown. FIG. 8A is a flowchart of processing on the mobile terminal side, and FIG. 8B is a flowchart of the image forming apparatus.

  Referring to FIG. 8a, the processing on the mobile terminal side includes the following.

Step 801: The control unit of the mobile terminal determines whether or not communication is possible after data transfer is started. If it can, step 801 is continued. If it cannot, step 802 is executed.
Step 802: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the connection service unit to retry communication within the time measured by a predetermined timer.
Step 803: The control unit of the mobile terminal determines whether or not the communication retry is successful. If the communication retry is successful, the process is terminated, and if not successful, Step 804 is executed.
Step 804: The control unit of the mobile terminal controls the touch panel unit to display a connection confirmation screen. If it is selected by the user to confirm the connection, the process returns to step 802, and if the user selects cancel or time-out, step 806 is executed.
Step 806: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the data transfer service unit to stop data transfer, controls the touch panel unit to delete the currently displayed screen, and ends the process. .

  Referring to FIG. 8b, the processing on the image forming apparatus side includes the following.

Step 801b: The overall control unit of the image forming apparatus determines whether or not to stop the data transfer. If so, execute Step 802b. If not, continue the Step 801b.
Step 802b: The general control unit of the image forming apparatus controls the storage unit to delete the stored data.
Step 803b: The overall control unit of the image forming apparatus controls the image forming apparatus to return from the warming state to the normal state.

  In this embodiment, after the data transfer between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus is started, if a communication impossible situation occurs once for some reason, first, the user 20 does not need to operate to restore the communication. The portable terminal automatically retries communication, and when the communication retry is successful, returns to the normal data communication state. If the automatic communication retry cannot be successful, the mobile terminal presents a screen for confirming the connection status to the user 20. When the user 20 selects cancel, a cancel operation is performed. When the user 20 selects retry, the communication 20 is returned to the communication retry operation.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, the print setting information is presented to the user 20 and the print target data is transferred to the image forming apparatus in advance. It is possible to shorten the waiting time from when receiving an instruction from the user 20 until actual printing.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming system. As shown in FIG. 9, the image forming system includes a portable terminal 91 and an image forming apparatus 92 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Here, in the second embodiment, the same contents as the portable terminal 31 and the image forming apparatus 32 of the image forming system of the first embodiment will not be described again. Here, the changes between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9 alone.

  In the second embodiment, the mobile terminal also includes a software part 911 and a hardware part 912. Here, the hardware portion 912 includes the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, that is, includes a storage unit 9121, a touch panel unit 9122, a communication unit 9123, and the like, and the functions of these components are the same as those of the second embodiment. Is omitted. The software portion 911 further includes a setting reading unit 9115 in addition to the same components as in the first embodiment, for example, a setting management unit 9111, a screen control unit 9112, a connection service unit 9113, a control unit 9114, and the like. The setting reading unit 9115 reads setting information on the image forming apparatus side by the communication unit 9123.

  In the second embodiment, the image forming apparatus includes a software portion 921 and a hardware portion 922. Here, the software portion 921 further includes a setting management unit 9214 in addition to the same components as the components of the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment, for example, the overall control unit 9211, the drive unit 9212, and the data communication unit 9213. The setting management unit 9214 acquires setting information stored in the storage unit 9222 of the image forming apparatus, and transmits the setting information to the portable terminal through the data communication unit 9213, the drive unit 9212, and the communication unit 9221. The hardware part 922 also includes the same components as the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment, for example, the communication unit 9221 and the storage unit 9222.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart when the print setting is used. Referring to FIG. 10, the flow includes:

Step 1001: When the user leaves the portable terminal in the communication facility 23 of the image forming apparatus, the control unit of the portable terminal secures the connection.
Step 1002: The control unit without portable terminal controls the setting reading unit to read the internal setting without portable terminal.
Step 1003: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the setting reading unit to read the setting of the image forming apparatus.
Step 1004: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the touch panel unit to display a print setting screen.
Step 1005: The control unit of the portable terminal determines whether or not to receive an instruction to save the setting by the user, and if received, executes Step 1006, and if not, ends the processing.
Step 1006: The control unit of the mobile terminal controls the setting management unit to write the user setting to the internal setting of the mobile terminal.

  In the present embodiment, when the user 20 leaves the portable terminal having the print target data 21 in the communication equipment 23 of the image forming apparatus, the connection service unit of the portable terminal is linked with the driving unit and the data communication unit of the image forming apparatus. The connection between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus is ensured. When the connection is secured, the setting information stored in the portable terminal is called, and the setting information stored in the image forming apparatus is also called. When the setting information is acquired, the print setting screen is displayed. When the user 20 prints for the first time, since there is no setting information inside the portable terminal, a print setting screen at the time of the first printing is displayed (as shown in FIG. 11). Thereafter, a print setting screen for normal printing (as shown in FIGS. 12a and 12b) is displayed. On the print setting screen, the user 20 can select printing using the current print settings of the image forming apparatus, or printing using personal common print settings stored in the portable terminal. When the user instructs printing, the portable terminal can select whether or not to save the print setting at the time of issuing the current print instruction in the portable terminal, and the user 20 saves the print setting of the current print instruction in the portable terminal. If these are determined, these settings are overwritten on the initial print settings of the portable terminal.

  FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a print setting screen at the time of initial printing.

  12A and 12B are schematic diagrams of a print setting screen during normal printing after the initial printing. Referring to FIG. 12A, when the user selects to print using the print setting of the image forming apparatus, the print setting screen of the image forming apparatus is activated as shown on the left side of FIG. 12A. Referring to FIG. 12b, when the user selects printing using the print settings of the mobile terminal, the print setting screen of the mobile terminal is activated as shown on the right side of FIG. 12b.

  FIG. 13 is a setting screen for changing various setting information on the mobile terminal alone when the mobile terminal is not connected to the image forming apparatus.

  14A and 14B are flowcharts when the user sets automatic printing. FIG. 14A shows processing on the mobile terminal side, and FIG. 14B shows processing on the image forming apparatus side.

  Referring to FIG. 14a, the flow includes:

Step 1401: When the user leaves the portable terminal in the image equipment of the image forming apparatus, the portable terminal secures connection with the image forming apparatus.
Step 1402: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the touch panel unit to display a data transfer screen.
Step 1403: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the data transfer service unit to cause the communication unit to transmit data to the image forming apparatus.
Step 1404: The control unit of the portable terminal controls the screen control unit to erase the screen displayed on the touch panel unit.
Step 1405: The control unit of the mobile terminal performs data processing.

  Referring to FIG. 14b, the flow includes:

Step 1401b: When the user leaves the portable terminal in the image equipment of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus secures a connection with the portable terminal.
Step 1402b: The image forming apparatus receives data transmitted from the mobile terminal.
Step 1403b: The image forming apparatus performs a warm-up process.
Step 1404b: The image forming apparatus starts printing.

  In the present embodiment, when the user 20 changes the automatic printing function to enabled (ON), the connection between the portable terminal and the image forming apparatus is next performed when the portable terminal is left in the communication equipment 23 of the image forming apparatus. Is secured, the data transfer screen is immediately displayed without waiting for a print instruction from the user 20, print data is transmitted / received, the data transmission screen is erased, and data processing is started. When the warming operation of the image forming apparatus performed in parallel in this process is completed, data printing is started.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention, when the user 20 issues a print instruction, the personal preference setting and the current setting of the image forming apparatus are displayed at the same time, and the convenience of operation is improved. Further, complete automatic printing can be realized without the operation of the user 20, and the time taken to print data from the portable terminal can be shortened for convenience.

  The apparatus and method of the present invention are realized by hardware, and may be realized by combining hardware and software. The present invention relates to the following computer-readable program, that is, when the program is executed by a logic component, the logic component realizes the above-described device or component, or the logic component described above. The method or step can be realized. Examples of the logic component include a field programmable logic component, a microprocessor, and a processor used in a computer. The present invention also relates to a storage medium for storing the program, for example, a hard disk, a disk, an optical disk, a DVD (digital versatile disk), a flash memory, and the like.

  Although the present invention has been described above by combining specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that these descriptions are merely examples and do not limit the protection scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present invention based on the spirit and principle of the present invention, and these modifications and corrections are also within the scope of the present invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Detection part, 12 Display part, 13 Generation part, 14 Transmission part, 15,3112,9114 Control part, 16,9115 Setting reading part, 20 User, 21 Print object data, 22,31,91 Portable terminal, 23 24, 32, 92 image forming apparatus, 61 data advance transfer setting screen, 62 screen, 311, 321, 911, 921 software part, 312, 322, 912, 922 hardware part, 3111 data transfer service part, 3113, 9111 , 9214 setting management unit, 3114, 9112 screen control unit, 3115, 9113 connection service unit, 3116 data analysis unit, 3121, 3224, 9121, 9222 storage unit, 3122, 9122 touch panel unit, 3123, 3223, 91 3,9221 communication unit, 3211,9211 general controller, 3212,9212 driver, 3213,9213 data communication unit, 3214 data processing unit, 3221 printing unit, 3222 an operation unit.

Claims (10)

A detection unit that detects an instruction to send print target data;
A display for displaying a print condition setting screen;
A generation unit that determines printing conditions based on a user operation and generates printing condition data based on the printing conditions;
A transmission unit that transmits the print target data and the print condition data to an image forming apparatus;
When the detection unit detects the transmission instruction, the transmission unit transmits the print target data to the image forming apparatus, the display unit displays the print condition setting screen, and the generation unit A control unit that generates the printing condition data and controls the transmission unit to transmit the printing condition data to the image forming apparatus;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission instruction is an instruction for communication connection with the image forming apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the detection unit detects the transmission instruction, the control unit controls the transmission unit to transmit a warm-up instruction to the image forming apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a connection service unit that secures a connection between the information processing apparatus and the image forming apparatus so that the detection unit detects the transmission instruction. . A setting reading unit that reads at least one of the internal setting information of the information processing apparatus and the setting information of the image forming apparatus;
The control unit controls the display unit to display internal setting information of the information processing apparatus read by the setting reading unit and setting information of the image forming apparatus read by the setting reading unit. Item 5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4.   The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit controls the generation unit to write the current setting to an internal setting of the information processing apparatus after receiving an instruction to save the setting by the user. The information processing apparatus described.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information processing apparatus is a mobile terminal. A detection unit for detecting a communication connection with the image forming apparatus;
A display for displaying a data transfer screen;
A transmission unit for transmitting print data to the image forming apparatus;
A control unit that controls the transmission unit to transmit the print data to the image forming apparatus and to display the data transfer screen on the display unit when the detection unit detects a communication connection;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein when the detection unit detects a communication connection, the control unit controls the transmission unit to transmit a warm-up instruction to the image forming apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the information processing apparatus is a mobile terminal.

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