JP2017120654A - Terminal device and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To select a printer favorable to a user when a plurality of printers are available.SOLUTION: A terminal device includes: a position acquisition part for acquiring terminal position information indicating a position of the terminal device; an acquisition part for acquiring a plurality of pieces of distance information respectively corresponding to a plurality of printers being candidates for a printer with which printing is to be executed, each of the plurality of pieces of distance information generated on the basis of coordinate information including latitude and longitude indicating a position of a corresponding printer and the terminal position information; an extraction part for preferentially extracting a printer having shorter distance from the terminal device out of the plurality of printers, on the basis of printer information; and a print instruction part for transmitting a print instruction for executing printing to a specific printer out of one or more extracted printers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to control of a terminal device, and more particularly to a technique for controlling a terminal device that can communicate with a printer.

  With the widespread use of mobile terminals such as smartphones, techniques for improving the convenience of users who use printers using mobile terminals have been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a user sends service request data including service area information indicating service areas desired to provide a print processing service and service content information to a plurality of printers from a mobile terminal. To send. The plurality of printers store address information where they are installed, and determine whether or not it is possible to provide a print processing service that conforms to service request data including designation of a service area. Of the plurality of printers, a printer that can provide a print processing service that conforms to the service request data transmits service provision data indicating that fact to the mobile terminal. The portable terminal displays service provision data. As a result, the user can go to one of the printers that can provide a service that conforms to the service request data and receive a print processing service.

JP 2002-101456 A

  Thus, there is a need for a technique for selecting a printer that is suitable for the user when a plurality of printers can be used. Further, in the above prior art, as the address information is stored as the position information indicating the position where the printer is installed in the printer, the position information indicating the position where the printer is installed is appropriately stored. There is a need for storage technology.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a new technique capable of selecting a printer suitable for a user when a plurality of printers can be used. Another object of the present invention is to provide a new technique capable of storing position information indicating a position where the printer is installed.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following application examples.

Application Example 1 A terminal device that corresponds to each of a first position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal device, and a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer that performs printing. An acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of distance information, wherein each of the plurality of distance information is generated based on coordinate information including latitude and longitude indicating a position of a corresponding printer and the terminal position information. An extraction unit that preferentially extracts a printer having a short distance to the terminal device from the plurality of printers based on the distance information; and the one or more extracted ones A terminal device comprising: a print instruction unit that transmits a print instruction for causing a specific printer of the printers to perform printing.

According to the above configuration, the extraction unit gives priority to a printer having a short distance to the terminal device based on the distance information generated based on the printer position information including the latitude and longitude indicating the position of the printer and the terminal position information. To extract. As a result, when a plurality of printers can be used, a printer suitable for the user can be extracted.

Application Example 2 A terminal device that corresponds to each of a first position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal device, and a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer that performs printing. An acquisition unit for acquiring a plurality of distance information, wherein each of the plurality of distance information is generated based on printer position information indicating a position of a corresponding printer and the terminal position information; At least one information of the printer position information is transmitted to the terminal device from each of the plurality of printers, and based on the distance information, the information from the plurality of printers An extraction unit that preferentially extracts a printer having a short distance from the terminal device, and a print instruction for causing a specific printer among the extracted one or more printers to perform printing is transmitted. That the print comprises an instruction unit, a terminal device.

  According to the above configuration, the extraction unit preferentially selects a printer having a short distance to the terminal device based on the distance information generated based on the terminal position information and the printer position information. As a result, when a plurality of printers can be used, a printer suitable for the user can be selected.

Application Example 3 In the terminal device according to Application Example 1 or Application Example 2, further, first transmission for transmitting condition information indicating printing conditions for printing based on the printing instruction to each of the plurality of printers. And the acquisition unit receives at least one of the distance information and the printer position information from a printer capable of executing printing according to the printing condition indicated by the condition information among the plurality of printers. A terminal device that obtains information.

  According to this configuration, since at least one of the distance information and the printer position information is acquired from a printer that can perform printing according to the printing conditions, it is possible to appropriately select a printer that performs printing.

Application Example 4 In the terminal device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 3, further, prior to the print instruction, each of the plurality of printers is provided with a position of each printer. A registration unit that registers printer position information to be displayed, and the registration unit includes a first reception unit that receives a predetermined operation from a user, and the registration unit receives the terminal when the predetermined operation is received. A terminal device that registers device information as the printer position information in a corresponding printer among the plurality of printers.

  According to this configuration, information indicating the position of the printer can be easily registered in the printer.

[Application Example 5] The terminal device according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 4, wherein the print instruction unit is configured such that a distance between the terminal device and the specific printer is equal to or less than a reference value. The printing instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing is transmitted, and the printing instruction for causing the specific printer to perform printing is transmitted when a distance between the terminal device and the destination printer is larger than a reference value. No, terminal device.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to cause a printer whose distance from the terminal device is a reference value or less to execute printing. As a result, it is possible to suppress printing from being performed by a printer that is excessively distant from the terminal device.

Application Example 6 In the terminal device according to Application Example 5, the print instruction unit instructs the specific printer to perform the print instruction because a distance between the terminal device and the printer is larger than a reference value. A second position information acquisition unit that periodically acquires the terminal position information when the terminal device is not transmitted, and the print instruction unit is configured to move the distance between the terminal device and the specific printer by moving the terminal device. A terminal device that transmits the print instruction to cause the specific printer to execute printing when the value becomes equal to or less than a reference value.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to execute printing at an appropriate timing according to the movement of the user.

Application Example 7 In the terminal device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 6, the extraction unit extracts one printer having the shortest distance from the terminal device as the specific printer. Then, the printing instruction unit transmits the printing instruction for causing the extracted specific printer to execute printing.

  According to this configuration, since the printer having the shortest distance from the terminal device executes printing, the convenience for the user can be improved.

Application Example 8 In the terminal device according to any one of Application Examples 7, the terminal device further receives an instruction from a user to cause the specific printer to execute printing among the extracted one or more printers. 2, and the print instructing unit transmits the print instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing when an instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing is received from a user. Terminal equipment.

  According to this configuration, after the specific printer is determined, the print instruction is transmitted when the instruction is received from the user. Therefore, the print instruction is transmitted to a printer inappropriate for the user. This can be suppressed.

Application Example 9 The terminal device according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 6, wherein the extraction unit extracts a plurality of printers whose distance from the terminal device is shorter than a reference, and the terminal device Further includes a third reception unit that receives from the user a selection instruction to select one of the plurality of extracted printers as the specific printer, and the print instruction unit includes the selection A terminal device that transmits the print instruction for causing the specific printer selected by the instruction to execute printing.

  According to this configuration, the user can easily select a printer to be printed from a printer having a relatively short distance from the terminal device, which is convenient.

[Application Example 10] The terminal device according to any one of Application Example 1 to Application Example 9, further including a display unit and a notification display for notifying a user of the position of the specific printer. A display control unit that displays the information, and the notification display includes information indicating a direction of a position of the specific printer with a position of the terminal device as a base point.

  According to this configuration, since the notification display including the direction of the destination printer viewed from the terminal device is displayed, the user can appropriately recognize the position of the destination printer.

[Application Example 11] The terminal device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 10, further including a second transmission unit that transmits the terminal position information to each of the plurality of printers. The acquisition unit is the distance information generated based on the printer position information stored in each of the plurality of printers and the terminal position information, and each of the plurality of printers and the A terminal device that acquires the distance information indicating a distance from the terminal device from each of the plurality of printers.

  According to this configuration, since the distance information is generated on the printer side, the processing load on the terminal information can be reduced.

Application Example 12 In the terminal device according to any one of Application Examples 1 to 10, the acquisition unit acquires the printer position information from each of the plurality of printers, and the acquisition unit includes: A terminal device comprising: a distance information generation unit that generates the distance information based on the terminal position information and the printer position information.

  According to this configuration, since the distance information is generated on the terminal device side, the processing load on the printer can be reduced.

Application Example 13 A system including a terminal device and a printer, wherein the terminal device uses a GPS receiver to acquire terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device, and uses NFC communication A transmission unit that transmits the terminal location information to the printer, the printer using NFC communication to receive the terminal location information from the terminal device, and the received terminal location A storage processing unit that stores information in a memory as printer position information indicating the position of the printer.

  According to the above configuration, the printer position information can be stored in the printer using the terminal device even if the printer is not equipped with a GPS receiver.

Application Example 14 In the system according to Application Example 13, the acquisition unit of the terminal device acquires the terminal position information in a state where the terminal device and the printer can communicate using NFC communication. System.

  The communication distance of NFC communication is extremely short. According to this configuration, the terminal device acquires terminal position information at a position very close to the printer. As a result, printer position information that accurately represents the position of the printer can be stored in the printer.

Application Example 15 A terminal device that uses a GPS receiver to acquire terminal location information that represents the location of the terminal device, and transmits the terminal location information to the printer using NFC communication. And the registration unit is in a case where the mobile terminal is in a specific mode and the terminal device and the mobile terminal transition to a communicable state using NFC communication. A terminal device that transmits the terminal position information to the printer.

  According to the above configuration, the printer position information can be stored in the printer using the terminal device even if the printer is not equipped with a GPS receiver. In addition, since the transmission unit of the terminal device transmits the terminal position information to the printer when the terminal device and the mobile terminal transition to a communicable state using NFC communication, the user can easily perform the printer Position information can be stored in the printer.

[Application Example 16] The terminal device according to Application Example 15, in which the acquisition unit obtains the terminal location information when the terminal device and the printer transition to a communicable state using NFC communication. The terminal device to acquire.

  The communication distance of NFC communication is extremely short. According to this configuration, the terminal device can acquire the terminal position information at a position very close to the printer. As a result, printer position information that accurately represents the position of the printer can be stored in the printer.

  The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, forms of a control device for a reading device, a computer program for realizing the function or method of these devices, a recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, and the like. Can be realized.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the system containing the portable terminal 400 as a terminal device. The figure which shows an example of arrangement | positioning of several printer 200A-200C. The flowchart of a positional information registration process. Explanatory drawing of a positional information registration process. 10 is a flowchart of print processing. The figure which shows an example of the terminal information SD. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of printer information PD. 6 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the position notification image PI of 1st Example. 10 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the second embodiment. Explanatory drawing of the job transmission process of 2nd Example. 10 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the third embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the position notification image PI1 of 3rd Example. The figure which shows an example of the list display image SG.

A. First Example A-1. Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a system including a portable terminal 400 as a terminal device in the embodiment. This system includes a plurality of printers 200A to 200C, a local area network (LAN) 80 connected to the Internet 70, a plurality of access points 50A to 50C connected to the LAN 80, and a portable terminal 400. Yes.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of a plurality of printers 200A to 200C. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of printers 200 </ b> A to 200 </ b> C are distributed in a relatively large room RM (for example, an office room). A user in the room RM can transmit a print instruction to any of the plurality of printers 200 </ b> A to 200 </ b> C using the mobile terminal 400.

  Each of the access points 50A to 50C is a wireless LAN switch that functions as a wireless LAN access point using a communication method defined by a standard such as IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n. The plurality of printers 200A to 200C and the portable terminal 400 can perform wireless communication using the infrastructure mode via these access points 50A to 50C. The infrastructure mode is a mode in which a plurality of wireless LAN terminal devices perform data communication via an access point. As a result, the plurality of printers 200 </ b> A to 200 </ b> C and the portable terminal 400 are treated as network devices connected to the LAN 80.

  The LAN 80 is, for example, a wired network constructed in accordance with the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard in the room RM of FIG. The access points 50A to 50C are, for example, distributed in the room RM to construct a wireless network (not shown in FIG. 2). As a result, the portable terminal 400 can be connected to the LAN 80 via the wireless network at an arbitrary location in the room RM.

The printer 200A is a print engine that prints an image using a CPU 210, a nonvolatile storage device 220 such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory, a volatile storage device 230 such as a RAM, and a predetermined method (for example, inkjet or laser). A display including a printer unit 240, an NFC unit 250 that performs communication with an external device using NFC (Near Field Communication), an operation unit 260 such as a touch panel and buttons, and a display panel such as a liquid crystal superimposed on the touch panel 270 and a wireless IF unit 280 as an interface for performing data communication with an external device such as a personal computer or a portable terminal.

  The volatile storage device 230 is provided with a buffer area 231 for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when the CPU 210 performs processing. The non-volatile storage device 220 stores a computer program 221 for controlling the printer 200 and printer position information 222.

  The computer program 221 is stored in the nonvolatile storage device 220 in advance, for example, when the printer 200 is shipped. The computer program 221 can be provided in a form recorded on a CD-ROM or downloaded from a server.

  The printer position information 222 is coordinate information indicating the installation position of the printer 200, and is stored in the printer 200 by position information registration processing (FIG. 2), as will be described later.

  The CPU 210 controls the entire printer 200 by executing the computer program 221. Specifically, the CPU 210 functions as, for example, the print control unit 30 for controlling the printer unit 240 to execute printing, and the communication control unit 100 for executing communication processing with the portable terminal 400. The communication control unit 100 uses the job reception unit 110 that receives a print job from the mobile terminal 400, the information transmission unit 120 that transmits various types of information to the mobile terminal 400, and the NFC unit 250 to obtain terminal location information. A position information receiving unit 130 that receives from the terminal device, and a position information storage unit 140 that stores the terminal position information received by the position information receiving unit 130 in the nonvolatile storage device 220 as the printer position information 222 are provided. Specific processing executed by each of these functional units will be described later.

  The wireless IF unit 280 includes an antenna and performs, for example, wireless communication via the access points 50A to 50C, that is, wireless communication conforming to the infrastructure mode. The wireless IF unit 280 is used for data communication with the portable terminal 400, for example, as will be described later. In the following, it is assumed that data communication (for example, transmission / reception of a print job) that is not specified for the communication method is performed using wireless communication via the access points 50A to 50C.

  The other printers 200B and 200C have the same configuration as the printer 200A described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, when the individual printers 200 </ b> A to 400 </ b> C are not distinguished, the alphabet at the end is omitted and the printers 200 </ b> A to 400 </ b> C are also referred to as the printer 200.

  The mobile terminal 400 is, for example, a multi-function mobile phone called a smartphone. The portable terminal 400 includes a CPU 410, a nonvolatile storage device 420 such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory, a volatile storage device 425 such as a RAM, a wireless IF unit 430, a telephone IF unit 440, a speaker and a microphone. A voice processing unit 450 for realizing functions, an operation unit 460 including a touch panel and operation keys, a display unit 470 including a liquid crystal panel superimposed on the touch panel, a GPS unit 480, and an external device using NFC It mainly includes an NFC unit 490 that performs communication with a device, and an electronic compass 495 that can recognize a direction by detecting geomagnetism using a magnetic sensor.

  The wireless IF unit 430 includes an antenna and performs, for example, wireless communication via the access points 50A to 50C, that is, wireless communication complying with the infrastructure mode. For example, the wireless IF unit 430 is used to transmit a print job to the printer 200 and transmit / receive various information to / from the printer 200, as will be described later.

  The telephone IF unit 440 includes an antenna and performs wireless communication with a base station (not shown) in accordance with a mobile phone communication system (for example, W-CDMA). The telephone IF unit 440 is used for connection to the Internet 70 via a telephone or a base station (not shown), for example.

The GPS unit 480 includes a receiver that receives radio waves (GPS signals) transmitted from artificial satellites constituting a GPS (Global Positioning System / Global Positioning System). The GPS unit 480 can acquire position information (coordinate information) representing the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude) based on the received GPS signal.

  The volatile storage device 425 is provided with a buffer area 426 for temporarily storing various intermediate data generated when the CPU 410 performs processing.

  The nonvolatile storage device 420 stores a control program PG1 and a printer driver program PG2. The control program PG1 is a program that realizes basic functions of the portable terminal 400 such as an OS (operating system) function, a telephone function, and a control function of the GPS unit 480 and the NFC unit 490. The control program PG1 is provided, for example, by the manufacturer of the mobile terminal 400, and is stored in advance at the time of shipment. The printer driver program PG2 is a program that implements a function for remotely operating the printer unit 240 of the printer 200. The printer driver program PG2 is a program for adding a new function to the mobile terminal 400 (referred to as an “app”). For example, a provider different from the manufacturer of the mobile terminal 400 (for example, the manufacturer of the printer 200). ) To be downloaded from a predetermined server. The printer driver program PG2 may be provided by the manufacturer of the mobile terminal 400, for example, and stored in advance at the time of shipment.

  The CPU 410 functions as the main control unit 20 that realizes the basic functions of the portable terminal 400 by executing the control program PG1. The CPU 410 functions as the printer driver 300 by executing the printer driver program PG2. The printer driver 300 includes a position registration unit 310, an information acquisition unit 320, a first position acquisition unit 330, a terminal information transmission unit 340, a printer extraction unit 350, a print instruction unit 360, and a display control unit 370. It is equipped with.

  Prior to the print instruction, the position registration unit 310 registers printer position information indicating the position of each printer in each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C. The location registration unit 310 uses a registration operation accepting unit 315 that accepts a predetermined registration operation from a user, and a registration location that uses the GPS unit 480 to obtain terminal location information indicating the location of the terminal in order to register with the printer. An information acquisition unit 317 and a registration position information transmission unit 319 for transmitting the acquired terminal position information to the printer using the NFC unit 490 for registration in the printer are provided.

The information acquisition unit 320, the first position acquisition unit 330, the terminal information transmission unit 340, and the printer extraction unit 350 execute processing for determining a specific printer that executes printing from the plurality of printers 200. . Specifically, the information acquisition unit 320 acquires distance information corresponding to each of a plurality of printers that are printer candidates for executing printing. The distance information is information indicating the distance between the mobile terminal 400 and the corresponding printer 200, for example. The first position acquisition unit 330 acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the mobile terminal 400. The terminal information transmission unit 340 transmits condition information indicating the printing conditions of the print instruction to be transmitted to each of the plurality of printers. The printer extraction unit 350 preferentially extracts a printer having a short distance from the mobile terminal 400 from the plurality of printers 200.

  The print instruction unit 360 transmits a print instruction to a specific printer that executes printing. The print instruction unit 360 may include a second position acquisition unit 365 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. An example including the second position acquisition unit 365 will be described in a second example.

  The display control unit 370 causes the display unit to display a notification display for notifying the position of a specific printer that executes printing. The notification display includes information (specifically, an arrow image to be described later) indicating the direction of the position of a specific printer that executes printing with the position of the mobile terminal 400 as a base point.

  Further, the printer driver 300 may include a transmission instruction receiving unit 380 and a selection instruction receiving unit 390, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. An example including the transmission instruction receiving unit 380 will be described in the third embodiment, and an example including the selection instruction receiving unit 390 will be described in a modification.

A-2. System operation A-2-1. Registration of Installation Position Information A position information registration process for registering installation position information used in a printing process (FIG. 5) described later in a plurality of printers 200 in the system will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the position information registration process. The location information registration process is executed by the location registration unit 310 (FIG. 1) of the portable terminal 400 and the communication control unit 100 (FIG. 1) of the printer 200. The position information registration process is executed prior to a printing process to be described later. For example, when the printer 200 is installed, the position information registration process is started by a user start instruction. Specifically, the user activates the printer driver 300 and selects a registration mode for executing the position information registration process, thereby starting the process on the portable terminal 400 side. In addition, the user starts processing on the printer 200 side by selecting a registration mode for executing position information registration processing via the operation unit 260 of the printer 200. This position information registration process is a process for storing one area information 222 in one printer 200, and is executed once for each printer 200 in the system. For example, the position information registration process may be executed once after one printer 200 is installed, and does not need to be executed a plurality of times unless the printer 200 is moved. For this reason, for example, when there are a plurality of users, a single user, for example, a person in charge of management of the printer 200 may execute the position information registration process using one portable terminal 400. .

  In step S <b> 1 of FIG. 3, the position registration unit 310 displays the registration UI image RG on the display unit 470 of the mobile terminal 400.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the position information registration process. FIG. 4A shows an example of a registration UI image RG. The registration UI image RG of FIG. 4A includes a message MS1, a registration button BT1, and an end button BT2. The message MS1 is a message that prompts the user to hold the portable terminal 400 over the NFC unit 250 of the printer 200 and press the registration button BT1.

In step S2, the registration operation reception unit 315 determines whether or not a registration operation by the user, that is, pressing of the registration button BT1 is received. When the registration operation is not received (step S2: NO), the registration operation reception unit 315 waits until the registration operation is received. When the registration operation is accepted (step S2: YES), that is, when the registration button BT1 is pressed by the user, the registration location information acquisition unit 317 of the location registration unit 310 uses the GPS unit 480. The current position information LD indicating the current position of the mobile terminal 400 is acquired (step S3). In addition, it is not limited to whether or not a registration operation has been accepted, and the mobile terminal 400 and the printer 200 have transitioned to a state in which communication is possible using NFC because the mobile terminal 400 is located near the NFC unit 250 of the printer 200. Is detected by the location registration unit 310, the registration location information acquisition unit 317 of the location registration unit 310 may automatically acquire current location information LD indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 400. . In this case, the position registration unit 310 may not display the registration button BT1 on the registration UI image RG in FIG. Then, the location registration unit 310 may display a message prompting the user to hold the portable terminal 400 over the NFC unit 250 of the printer 200 on the registration UI image RG. In general, the portable terminal 400 and the printer 200 are used regardless of whether the registration operation is accepted or the location registration unit 310 detects that a transition to a communicable state is detected. Can be communicated using NFC communication, the registration position information acquisition unit 317 of the position registration unit 310 may acquire current position information LD indicating the current position of the mobile terminal 400.

  FIG. 4B shows an example of the current position information LD acquired in step S3. As shown in FIG. 4B, the current position information is three-dimensional coordinate information including information representing latitude (north latitude or south latitude), longitude (east longitude or west longitude), and altitude (altitude).

  When step S3 is executed, the portable terminal 400 is in the vicinity of the position of the NFC unit 250 of the printer 200, so the current position information LD acquired in step S3 indicates the installation position of the printer 200.

  In step S4, the registration position information transmission unit 319 of the position registration unit 310 transmits the current position information LD acquired in step S3 to the printer 200 by short-range wireless communication using the NFC unit 490 of the portable terminal 400. Send. In step S <b> 5, the position information receiving unit 130 of the printer 200 receives the current position information LD via the NFC unit 250.

  In step S6, the position information storage unit 140 of the printer 200 stores the received current position information LD in the nonvolatile storage device 220 as printer position information 222 (FIG. 1) indicating the installation position of the printer 200.

  By the position information registration process described above, even if the printer 200 is not equipped with a GPS receiver, the user can easily register the printer position information 222 in the printer 200. Further, registration position information of the position registration unit 310 in a state where the portable terminal 400 is located in the NFC unit 250 of the printer 200, that is, in a state where the printer 200 and the portable terminal 400 can communicate using NFC communication. The acquisition unit 317 acquires current position information LD to be stored as the printer position information 222 (step S3). Therefore, the printer position information 222 that accurately represents the installation position of the printer 200 can be stored in the printer 200.

  Prior to the printing process described below, a position information registration process is executed for each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C (FIG. 2), and a printer is set for each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C (FIG. 2). Location information 222 is stored.

At the start of the position information registration process described above, the user selects a registration mode for executing the position information registration process via the operation unit 260 of the printer 200 to start the process on the printer 200 side. Yes. Instead, the processing on the printer side may be started when the current position information is received from the portable terminal 400 in step S5. In this case, it is preferable that the registration unit 310 of the portable terminal 400 transmits, to the portable terminal 400, a command requesting the printer 200 to register the current position information together with the current position information in Step S4. In this way, the operation burden on the user can be reduced.

A-2-2. Printing Process FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the printing process. The printing process is a process of causing any one of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C (FIG. 3) to perform printing using the printer driver 300 of the portable terminal 400. The printing process is executed when the user activates the printer driver 300 in the portable terminal 400 in order to execute the printing process.

  When activated, the printer driver 300 displays a predetermined UI image (not shown) on the display unit 470 of the mobile terminal 400 and accepts a print request from the user. The print request includes designation of image data to be printed (for example, document data and drawing data) and designation of printing conditions (for example, color / monochrome, paper size).

  In step S10 in FIG. 5, the printer driver 300 determines whether a print request from the user has been received. If the print request is not accepted (step S10: NO), the printer driver 300 waits until the print request is accepted. If the print request is accepted (step S10: YES), the printer driver 300 searches for a printer 200 that should be a transmission destination candidate of the print job, that is, a printer candidate to be printed (step S15). ). Specifically, the printer driver 300 broadcasts a search packet on the LAN 80 by wireless communication. As a result, the search packet is transmitted to all the printers 200 connected to the LAN 80 by wire or wirelessly, in the example of FIG. 2, the three printers 200A to 200C.

  In step S20, the communication control unit 100 of the printer 200 that has received the search packet transmits a response packet including the IP address of the printer 200 to the portable terminal 400 that is the transmission source of the search packet. By receiving the response packet, the printer driver 300 can recognize the presence of the printer 200 that should be a transmission destination candidate, and can acquire an IP address for accessing the printer 200. In the example of FIG. 2, since the response packet is transmitted from each of the three printers 200A to 200C to the portable terminal 400, the three printers 200A to 200C are recognized.

  In step S <b> 22, the first position acquisition unit 330 of the printer driver 300 uses the GPS unit 480 to acquire current position information indicating the current position of the mobile terminal 400. Here, the acquired current position information includes information indicating latitude (northern latitude or south latitude), longitude (east longitude or west longitude), and altitude (elevation), as in the current position information LD shown in FIG. This is three-dimensional coordinate information.

  In step S25, the terminal information transmission unit 340 of the printer driver 300 transmits the terminal information SD to the printer 200 searched in step S15, and in the example of FIG. 2, each of the three printers 200A to 200C.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the terminal information SD. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the terminal information SD includes current position information acquired in step S22 and condition information indicating the printing conditions specified by the print request received in step S10. In the example of FIG. 6, the terminal information SD includes, as condition information, information related to color, that is, information that specifies color printing or monochrome printing, and information that specifies the paper size.

In step S <b> 30, the communication control unit 100 of the printer 200 receives terminal information SD from the mobile terminal 400. In the example of FIG. 2, each communication control unit 100 of the three printers 200A to 200C receives the terminal information SD.

  In step S35, the communication control unit 100 determines whether or not the printing condition specified by the condition information included in the terminal information SD can be handled. Here, whether or not the printing condition can be handled may be determined based on whether or not the specification of the printer 200 can execute printing that satisfies the printing condition. Whether or not the printing condition can be supported is determined based on the current printing condition in consideration of the status of consumables (whether ink is present or paper is present) in addition to the specifications of the printer 200, for example. It may be determined based on whether or not printing based on can be executed. For example, the communication control unit 100 may determine that A3 size printing can be supported when the specification of the printer 200 supports A3 size printing. Further, the communication control unit 100 can support A3 size printing when the specification of the printer 200 supports A3 printing and A3 size paper is set on the paper tray of the printer 200. You may judge. In the case where the condition information includes designation of a plurality of printing conditions (for example, conditions relating to color and conditions relating to paper size), the communication control unit 100 determines that the printing conditions are compatible with all the printing conditions. Is determined to be executable.

When the communication control unit 100 determines that the printing condition can be supported (step S35: YES), the distance D between the portable terminal 400 that is the transmission source of the terminal information SD and the printer 200 that has received the terminal information SD. (Also referred to as inter-device distance D) is calculated (step S40). Specifically, the communication control unit 100 determines the position of the portable terminal 400 indicated by the current position information received in step S30 and the printer 200 indicated by the printer position information 222 (FIG. 1) stored in the printer 200. The inter-device distance D is calculated on the basis of the position. Specifically, the communication control unit 100 includes the three-dimensional coordinate values (latitude value, longitude value, altitude value) = (LT1, LG1, HL1) included in the current position information of the mobile terminal and the printer position information. The inter-device distance D is calculated based on the three-dimensional coordinate values (latitude value, longitude value, altitude value) = (LT2, LG2, HL2). More specifically, the communication control unit 100 determines a horizontal distance, that is, a distance based on a latitude value and a longitude value, for example, a well-known formula, specifically, a hubeny formula, a Lambert-Andoyer Calculate using the formula. When considering the distance in the vertical direction, the communication control unit 100 calculates the distance in the vertical direction based on the difference value ΔHL = (HL1−HL2) of the altitude value. The communication control unit 100 calculates the inter-device distance D by the three-square theorem based on the horizontal distance and the vertical distance.

  In step S45, the information transmission unit 120 of the communication control unit 100 transmits the printer information PD to the mobile terminal 400 that is the transmission source of the terminal information SD.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the printer information PD. As shown in FIG. 7, the printer information PD includes position information indicating the position of the printer 200, that is, printer position information 222, and distance information indicating the inter-device distance D calculated in step S40. .

  If the communication control unit 100 determines that the printing condition cannot be met (step S35: NO), the communication control unit 100 ends the process without transmitting the printer information PD to the portable terminal 400. That is, among a plurality of printers in the system, a printer that can cope with the printing conditions transmits the printer information PD to the portable terminal 400, but a printer that cannot cope with the printing conditions transmits the printer information PD to the portable terminal 400. do not do. In the example of FIG. 2, it is determined that all of the three printers 200A to 200C can cope with the printing conditions (step S35: YES), and the printer information PD is transmitted to the portable terminal 400 (step S45). ).

In step S50, the information acquisition unit 320 of the printer driver 300 receives the printer information PD. In step S55, the printer extraction unit 350 extracts one printer 200 that is the closest to the portable terminal 400. Specifically, if the number of printer information PD received in step S50 is 1, the printer extraction unit 350 extracts the printer 200 that is the transmission source of the printer information PD. If there are a plurality of pieces of printer information PD received in step S50, the printer extraction unit 350 transmits a printer information transmission source printer including the smallest device-to-device distance D among the plurality of printer information PDs. 200 is extracted. As described above, since the printer information PD is transmitted only from the printer 200 that can cope with the printing conditions specified in the printing request, in this step, the printer information PD that can cope with the printing conditions specified in the printing request is displayed. Among them, one printer 200 that is closest to the portable terminal 400 is extracted.

  For example, when the owner of the portable terminal 400 is the user 1 in FIG. 2, the printer 200C is extracted from the three printers 200A to 200C. Further, when the owner of the portable terminal 400 is the user 2, the printer 200C is extracted, and when the user is the user 3, the printer 200B is extracted.

  In step S60, the printer driver 300 executes job transmission processing (described later) for transmitting a print job to the single printer 200 extracted in step S55. The print job includes print image data representing a print image and condition information for specifying a print condition. The print job is an example of a print instruction that instructs the transmission destination printer 200 to perform printing based on print image data. In step S65, the job receiving unit 110 of one printer 200 extracted in step S55 receives a print job. In step S70, the print control unit 30 of the printer 200 that has received the print job executes printing based on the print job. When printing is executed, the printing process is terminated.

  According to the printing process described above, the printer extraction unit 350 is connected to the portable terminal based on the printer position information including the latitude and longitude indicating the position of the printer and the printer information PD generated based on the terminal position information. The printer 200 having the shortest distance is extracted as the printer to which the print instruction is transmitted. As a result, a printer suitable for the user can be extracted from among the plurality of available printers 200A to 200C as a printer to which a print instruction is transmitted. For example, the user can conveniently execute printing on a printer that easily collects printed materials, which is convenient. In addition, since the time required for collecting the printed material can be shortened, it is possible to prevent the printed material from being stolen and the printed material from being seen by an unrelated person, thereby improving the security.

  Further, the printer information PD is generated by the communication control unit 100 of the printer 200 using the current position information transmitted from the portable terminal 400 to each printer 200 and transmitted to the portable terminal 400. That is, the terminal information transmission unit 340 transmits current position information indicating the current position of the mobile terminal 400 to each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C (FIG. 5: step S25). Then, the information acquisition unit 320 uses the printer information PD generated based on the printer position information 222 (FIG. 1) stored in each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C and the current position information as the plurality of printers 200A. To 200C (FIG. 5: Step S50). As a result, the portable terminal 400 does not need to store information on the installation positions of the available printers 200. Further, the portable terminal 400 only needs to transmit terminal information SD (FIG. 6) including the current position information to each printer 200. As a result, resources (memory and computing capacity) of the mobile terminal 400 can be saved. In addition, since a server or the like for managing a system including a plurality of printers 200 is unnecessary, a simple and useful system can be constructed.

Further, the terminal information transmission unit 340 transmits condition information indicating the printing conditions of the print instruction to each of the plurality of printers 200A to 200C (FIG. 5: Step S25). Then, the information transmission unit 120 of the printer 200 transmits the printer information PD to the portable terminal 400 when the printing conditions can be handled. Therefore, the information acquisition unit 320 receives the printer information PD from only the printer that can execute printing according to the printing conditions among the plurality of printers 200A to 200C. Therefore, an appropriate printer to which a print instruction should be transmitted can be appropriately extracted from printers that can execute printing according to the printing conditions.

A-2-3. Job Transmission Processing The job transmission processing in step S60 in FIG. 5 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the first embodiment. The job transmission process is executed by the print instruction unit 360 and the display control unit 370.

  In step S610, the print instruction unit 360 determines whether the distance between the specific printer 200 extracted in step S55 of FIG. 5 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a specific printer) and the portable terminal 400 is equal to or less than the reference value Dth. Judge whether or not. That is, the print instruction unit 360 determines whether or not the inter-device distance D indicated by the distance information included in the printer information PD of the specific printer is equal to or less than the reference value Dth. Data indicating the value of the reference value Dth is incorporated in advance in the printer driver program PG2.

  If the distance between the specific printer and the portable terminal 400 is equal to or less than the reference value Dth (step S610: YES), the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print job to the specific printer (step S620). When the print job is transmitted, steps S65 and S75 in FIG. 5 are executed, and printing is executed.

  In subsequent step S630, display control unit 370 causes display unit 470 to display position notification image PI for notifying the position of the specific printer, that is, the position of printer 200 that is the transmission destination of the print job.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position notification image PI according to the first embodiment. The position notification image PI of FIG. 9 includes an arrow image AR, a distance display DI, and an end button BT3. The arrow image AR indicates the direction of the position of the specific printer (hereinafter also simply referred to as the direction of the specific printer) with the position of the mobile terminal 400 as a base point. The distance display DI indicates the distance from the portable terminal 400 to the specific printer.

  More specifically, the display control unit 370 displays the printer position information (FIG. 7) included in the printer information PD received from the specific printer in step S50 in FIG. 5 and the terminal position information acquired in step S22. , The direction of the specific printer with respect to the portable terminal 400 and the distance to the specific printer are specified. The display control unit 370 further uses the electronic compass 495 to move the mobile terminal 400 along a direction in which the mobile terminal 400 faces, for example, along a straight line connecting the center of the lower end portion and the center of the upper end portion of the mobile terminal 400. The direction in which the direction extending from the lower end side to the upper end side is oriented is acquired. The display control unit 370 specifies the direction of the specific printer with respect to the direction in which the mobile terminal 400 is facing, and displays an image AR of an arrow pointing in the specified direction on the display unit 470. Further, the display control unit 370 displays a distance display DI indicating the distance to the specific printer with a number on the display unit 470. The display control unit 370 acquires the direction in which the mobile terminal 400 is facing and the current position information of the mobile terminal 400 at a predetermined interval (for example, 100 milliseconds), and updates the arrow image AR and the distance display DI. . As a result, the user of the portable terminal 400 can appropriately recognize the position of the specific printer, that is, the printer 200 to which the print document based on the print instruction is output, by looking at the position notification image PI. Then, the user can easily reach the position of the specific printer according to the guidance of the position notification image PI.

  When the user presses the end button BT3, the display control unit 370 ends the display of the position notification image PI. For example, the user may press the end button BT3 when reaching the specific printer.

  If the distance between the specific printer and the portable terminal 400 is greater than the reference value Dth (step S610: NO), the print instruction unit 360 stops printing and ends the job transmission process. As a result, steps S65 and S75 in FIG. 5 are not executed, and the printing process is terminated. Therefore, in this case, printing is not executed.

  According to the job transmission process described above, the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print instruction to the specific printer when the distance between the mobile terminal 400 and the specific printer is within the reference value Dth (step S620). When the distance between the portable terminal 400 and the specific printer is larger than the reference value Dth, no print instruction is transmitted to the specific printer (step S640). As a result, as a result, it is possible to suppress the printing from being performed by the printer that is excessively distant from the terminal device. This is because emphasis is placed on maintaining the above-described security, and printing is not executed for the printer 200 that is far from the reference value Dth from the portable terminal 400. The magnitude of the reference value Dth is preferably set appropriately in accordance with the intended security level, and the security level can be increased as the reference value Dth is reduced. The reference value Dth is set to about 5 to 30 meters, for example.

  For example, if the holder of the portable terminal 400 is the user 1 in FIG. 2, printing is stopped because the distance between the printer 200C selected in step S55 in FIG. 5 and the user 1 is greater than the reference value Dth. Is done. When the owner of the portable terminal 400 is the user 2, since the distance between the printer 200C selected in step S55 of FIG. 5 and the user 2 is equal to or less than the reference value Dth, a print instruction is issued to the printer 200C. Then, printing is executed by the printer 200C. When the owner of the portable terminal 400 is the user 3, a print instruction is transmitted to the printer 200B, and printing is executed by the printer 200B.

B. Second embodiment:
The print instruction unit 360 according to the second embodiment includes a second position acquisition unit 365 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The difference between the printing process of the second embodiment and the printing process of the first embodiment is the job transmission process in step S60 of FIG. Other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the second embodiment. In step S610A, as in step S630 of FIG. 8, the display control unit 370 displays a position notification image PI (FIG. 9) for notifying the position of the specific printer on the display unit 470.

  In subsequent step S620A, print instruction unit 360 determines whether the distance between the specific printer and portable terminal 400 is equal to or smaller than reference value Dth, as in step S610 of FIG. When the distance between the specific printer and the portable terminal 400 is equal to or less than the reference value Dth (step S620A: YES), the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print job to the specific printer (step S630A). When the print job is transmitted, steps S65 and S75 in FIG. 5 are executed, and printing is executed. After the print job is transmitted, the display control unit 370 may display the position notification image PI (FIG. 9) on the display unit 470 as in the first embodiment.

  When the distance between the specific printer and the portable terminal 400 is larger than the reference value Dth (step S620A: NO), the print instruction unit 360 does not transmit the print job, but does not stop the print job. In a state where the transmission of is suspended, the process proceeds to step S640A.

  In step S640A, the second position acquisition unit 365 of the print instruction unit 360 acquires the current position information of the mobile terminal 400 using the GPS unit 480. When the current position information is acquired, the process returns to step S610A, and the display control unit 370 updates the position notification image PI (FIG. 9). As a result, the position notification image PI is updated until the distance from the portable terminal 400 becomes Dth or less. When the distance between the specific printer and the portable terminal 400 is equal to or less than the reference value Dth (step S620A: YES), as described above, the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print job to the specific printer. (Step S630A).

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of job transmission processing according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 shows a plurality of printers 200A to 200C arranged in the same manner as in FIG. According to the second embodiment, when the owner of the portable terminal 400 is the user 1 in FIG. 11, the user 1 can print while staying at a position farther than the reference value Dth from the printer 200C. No indication is sent. Thereafter, when the user 1 moves from the printer 200C to a range equal to or smaller than the reference value Dth, a print instruction is transmitted. When the owners of the portable terminal 400 are the user 2 and the user 3, the printing instructions are immediately transmitted to the printer 200C and the printer 200B, respectively, as in the first embodiment.

  According to the job transmission process of the second embodiment described above, the print instruction unit 360 does not transmit a print instruction to the specific printer because the distance between the portable terminal 400 and the specific printer is larger than the reference value Dth. After that, when the distance between the portable terminal 400 and the specific printer falls within the reference value due to the movement of the portable terminal 400, a print instruction is transmitted to the specific printer. As a result, printing can be executed at an appropriate timing according to the movement of the user.

C. Third embodiment:
The print instruction unit 360 of the third embodiment includes a transmission instruction reception unit 380 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Other configurations of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. The difference between the printing process of the third embodiment and the printing process of the first embodiment is the job transmission process in step S60 of FIG. Other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart of job transmission processing according to the third embodiment. In step S610B, the display control unit 370 displays a position notification image PIA for notifying the position of the specific printer on the display unit 470.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position notification image PI1 of the third embodiment. The position notification image PIA of FIG. 13 includes an arrow image AR, a distance display DI, and an end button BT3, similarly to the position notification image PI of FIG. The position notification image PIA in FIG. 13 further includes an instruction reception button BT4 for receiving an instruction to transmit a print job to the specific printer (hereinafter also referred to as a job transmission instruction) from the user. The transmission instruction reception unit 380 receives a job transmission instruction from the user via the instruction reception button BT4.

  In subsequent step S620B, transmission instruction receiving unit 380 determines whether or not a job transmission instruction has been received. If the job transmission instruction has not been received (step S620A: NO), the print instruction unit 360 suspends transmission of the print job until the job transmission instruction is received. When the job transmission instruction is accepted (step S620A: YES), the print instruction unit 360 transmits the print job to the specific printer (step S630B). When the print job is transmitted, steps S65 and S75 in FIG. 5 are executed, and printing is executed. After the print job is transmitted, the display control unit 370 may display the position notification image PI (FIG. 9) on the display unit 470 as in the first embodiment.

  According to the job transmission process of the third embodiment described above, a print instruction is transmitted when a transmission instruction from a user is accepted after a specific printer is determined. In other words, since the print instruction is transmitted when an instruction to execute printing by the specific printer extracted by the printer extraction unit 350 is received, the print instruction is transmitted to the printer 200 inappropriate for the user. This can be suppressed. In addition, since the timing of sending the print instruction is left to the user's judgment, printing can be executed at the timing intended by the user. Further, since the job transmission instruction is received via the instruction reception button BT4 included in the position notification image PI1 (FIG. 13), the user recognizes the position of the printer 200 that executes printing and at an appropriate timing. The printer 200 can execute printing. For example, when the document to be printed is not confidential, the user gives priority to completing the printing as soon as possible, and when the user is relatively far from the printer 200 that performs printing, the printer 200 can execute printing. On the other hand, when the document to be printed is confidential, the user can cause the printer 200 to perform printing after sufficiently approaching the printer that performs printing.

D. Modification (1) In the first embodiment, the printer extraction unit 350 extracts the printer having the shortest device distance D from the plurality of printers 200A to 200C. Instead, for example, the printer extraction unit 350 may consider conditions other than the inter-device distance D. For example, when the number of printed sheets is large, a printer having the shortest device distance D may be extracted from printers having a printing speed equal to or higher than a reference value in consideration of the printing speed. Alternatively, in consideration of whether other print jobs are being processed, there is no print job being processed or the number of print jobs being processed is the largest among printers having an inter-device distance D equal to or less than a specific standard. Fewer printers may be extracted. Information regarding the printing speed and information regarding the print job being processed can be acquired by, for example, the printer driver 300 of the portable terminal 400 inquiring each printer 200. In general, the printer extraction unit 350 may preferentially extract a printer having a short distance from the portable terminal 400 from the plurality of printers 200A to 200C.

(2) The printer extraction unit 350 generates a list in which the plurality of printers 200A to 200C are arranged in ascending order of the inter-device distance D from the plurality of printers 200A to 200C. One or more printers whose distance is shorter than the reference may be extracted. The selection instruction receiving unit 390 in FIG. 1 creates a list based on the extraction result. The created list is displayed on the display unit 470 in order to allow the user to select one specific printer from one or more extracted printers, for example. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the list display image SG. The list display image SG includes a plurality of selection items SL1 and SL2 corresponding to a plurality of printers. In the example of FIG. 14, the selection items SL1 and SL2 include the name of the corresponding printer and information indicating the position of the corresponding printer, that is, the arrow images AR1 and AR2 indicating the direction of the corresponding printer, and the corresponding printer. Information DI1 and DI2 representing the distances up to.

  Then, the selection instruction receiving unit 390 in FIG. 1 receives a selection instruction for selecting one of the plurality of printers in the list as a specific printer from the user via the list display image SG. The print instruction unit 360 may transmit a print instruction to the specific printer selected by the selection instruction from the user. This is convenient because the user can easily select a printer to be printed from a printer having a relatively short distance from the portable terminal 400.

(3) In the printing process of FIG. 5, the terminal information transmission unit 340 of the printer driver 300 transmits the terminal information SD including the current position information of the portable terminal 400 to the printer 200 (step S25 of FIG. 5). The communication control unit 100 calculates the inter-device distance D (step S40 in FIG. 5). Then, the information acquisition unit 320 of the printer driver 300 acquires the printer information PD including the inter-device distance D from the printer 200 (step S50 in FIG. 5). Instead, the information acquisition unit 320 may acquire the inter-device distance D as the printer information by calculating the inter-device distance D. That is, the information acquisition unit 320 of the portable terminal 400 calculates the inter-device distance D based on the printer position information acquired from each of the plurality of printers 200 and the terminal position information, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. You may provide the distance information generation part 325 which produces | generates the distance information shown by calculation.

  Specifically, in step S25 of FIG. 5, the terminal information transmission unit 340 transmits only the condition information to each of the printers 200A to 200C without transmitting the current position information of the portable terminal 400. The communication control unit 100 of each of the printers 200A to 200C does not execute the calculation of the inter-device distance D (step S40 in FIG. 5) even when the printing conditions specified by the condition information can be accommodated. In step S <b> 45, the information transmission unit 120 transmits only the printer position information 222 to the portable terminal 400. In step S55, the information acquisition unit 320 calculates the inter-device distance D with each of the printers 200A to 200C based on the printer position information 222 of each of the printers 200A to 200C and the current position information of the portable terminal 400. . Then, the printer extraction unit 350 may extract the printer with the shortest device distance D among the printers 200A to 200C.

(4) In the printing process of FIG. 5, the terminal information transmission unit 340 of the printer driver 300 transmits terminal information SD including condition information indicating printing conditions to the printer 200 (step S25 of FIG. 5). The transmission unit 120 returns the printer information PD to the portable terminal 400 when the printing condition specified by the condition information can be handled (step S35 in FIG. 5: YES). That is, it is determined on the printer 200 side whether or not the printing conditions can be supported. Instead of this, the printer driver 300 of the portable terminal 400 may determine whether or not the printing conditions can be supported.

  Specifically, in step S25 of FIG. 5, the terminal information transmission unit 340 transmits only the current position information of the portable terminal 400 to each of the printers 200A to 200C without transmitting the condition information. The communication control unit 100 of each of the printers 200A to 200C does not determine whether or not the printing condition can be handled, and in step S45 of FIG. 5, the information transmission unit 120 determines the inter-device distance D, the printer position information, In addition, printer information PD including information indicating printing conditions that can be handled by the printer is transmitted to the portable terminal 400. Then, the printer extraction unit 350 may extract the printer with the shortest apparatus distance D from the printers that can cope with the print conditions of the print job in step S55 of FIG.

(5) In the position registration process of FIG. 3, the position registration unit 310 transmits the current position information LD to the printer 200 using NFC. Instead, the position registration unit 310 may transmit the current position information LD to the printer 200 using other communication means. Other communication means include, for example, wireless communication according to the Wi-Fi standard, specifically, wireless communication using the access points 50A to 50C (FIG. 1) (infrastructure mode), and wireless in ad hoc mode. Communication, or wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, or TransferJet (registered trademark) may be employed. However, if NFC or TransferJet having a very short communication distance is used as in the embodiment, as described above, the position registration unit 310 may be configured so that the current state of the portable terminal 400 is in a state where the portable terminal 400 is close to the printer 200. Since the position information LD can be acquired and transmitted, accurate printer position information 222 can be registered in the printer 200. The printer position information 222 is obtained when a user inputs position information acquired using the portable terminal 400 or a device having a GPS function different from that of the portable terminal 400 via the operation unit 260 of the printer 200. May be registered in the printer 200.

(6) In each of the above embodiments, the printer position information 222 is stored in each of the printers 200A to 200C. Instead, the management server stores the printer position information of a plurality of printers 200A to 200C in the system. 222 may be stored. In this case, information indicating printing conditions that can be handled by the plurality of printers 200A to 200C in the system may be stored in the management server. In this way, the management server can determine a printer that can cope with the printing condition based on the print job among the plurality of printers 200A to 200C in the system. In this case, the processes from step S10 to step S55 in the printing process of FIG. 4 are executed between the portable terminal 400 and the management server. The management server may be a server connected to the Internet, or a local server installed in the LAN 80. However, if the printer position information 222 is stored in each of the printers 200A to 200C as in the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary to install a management server, so that it is possible to more easily execute printing on an appropriate printer. A system can be constructed.

(7) In the printing process of FIG. 5, the terminal information transmission unit 340 of the printer driver 300 transmits terminal information SD including condition information indicating printing conditions to the printer 200 (step S25 of FIG. 5). The control unit 100 determines whether or not the printing condition specified by the condition information can be handled. For example, when a system is constructed using a plurality of printers of the same model, the printing conditions that can be basically handled are the same among the plurality of printers in the system. The transmission of such condition information and the determination of whether or not the printing condition specified by the condition information can be handled may be omitted.

(8) In the embodiment described above, the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print job including print image data as a print instruction. For example, when the mobile terminal 400 stores image data in a management server or the like, the print instruction unit 360 of the mobile terminal 400 transmits a print instruction that does not include print image data to a specific printer, and The printer that has received the print instruction may access the management server and acquire print image data from the management server.

(9) In the above-described embodiment, the print instruction unit 360 directly transmits a print job for causing the specific printer to execute printing to the specific printer. In the case of a system including a management server, instead of this, the print instruction unit 360 transmits a print job for causing the specific printer to execute printing to the management server, and the management server sends a print job to the specific printer. You may send it.

(10) In the third embodiment, the print instruction unit 360 immediately transmits a print job to the specific printer when a job transmission instruction is received from the user after the specific printer is determined. doing. Instead, after the specific printer is determined, the print instruction unit 360 receives a job transmission instruction from the user, and the inter-device distance D between the portable terminal 400 and the specific printer is the reference value Dth. A print job may be transmitted to a specific printer in the following cases.

(11) In the above embodiment, the printer position information is coordinate information including latitude and longitude. However, the printer position information may be information indicating an address, for example, and corresponds to an office floor map. It may be a room number assigned. The printer position information may be information that can specify the distance between the printer 200 and the portable terminal 400 with necessary accuracy when used in combination with the terminal position information.

(12) In the above embodiment, a part of the configuration realized by hardware may be replaced with software, and conversely, a part of the configuration realized by software may be replaced by hardware. Also good.

(13) When some or all of the functions of the present invention are realized by software, the software (computer program) can be provided in a form stored in a computer-readable recording medium. “Computer-readable recording media” are not limited to portable recording media such as memory cards and CD-ROMs, but are connected to internal storage devices in computers such as various RAMs and ROMs, and computers such as hard disk drives. It also includes an external storage device.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the Example and the modification, Embodiment mentioned above is for making an understanding of this invention easy, and does not limit this invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents thereof are included in the present invention.

50A-50C ... Access point, 70 ... Internet, 80 ... LAN, 10
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 0 ... Communication control part, 110 ... Job receiving part, 120 ... Information transmission part, 200A-200C ... Printer, 210 ... CPU, 220 ... Non-volatile storage device, 221 .. ... Computer program 222... Printer position information 230. Volatile storage device 231. Buffer area 240 240 Printer unit 250 NFC unit 260 Operation unit 270 ... display unit, 280 ... wireless IF unit, 290 ... NFC unit, 300 ... printer driver, 310 ... position registration unit, 315 ... registration operation reception unit, 320 ... information Acquisition unit, 330 ... first position acquisition unit, 340 ... terminal information transmission unit, 350 ... printer extraction unit, 360 ... print instruction unit, 365 ... second position acquisition unit, 370 ... display control unit, 380 ... transmission instruction reception unit, 390 ... selection instruction reception unit, 400 ... mobile terminal, 410 ... CPU, 420 ... nonvolatile Sex storage device, 42
5 ... volatile storage device, 426 ... buffer area, 430 ... wireless IF unit, 440 ... telephone IF unit, 450 ... voice processing unit, 460 ... operation unit, 470 ... Display unit, 480 ... GPS unit, 490 ... NFC unit, 495 ... Electronic compass, PG1 ... Control program, PG2 ... Printer driver program

Claims (19)

A terminal device,
A first position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
An acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of distance information corresponding to each of a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer that performs printing, each of the plurality of distance information including a latitude indicating a position of the corresponding printer And the acquisition unit that is generated based on the coordinate information including the longitude and the terminal position information;
An extraction unit that preferentially extracts a printer having a short distance to the terminal device from the plurality of printers based on the distance information;
A print instruction unit that transmits a print instruction for causing a specific printer among the one or more extracted printers to perform printing;
A terminal device. A terminal device,
A first position acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal device;
An acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of distance information corresponding to each of a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer that performs printing, wherein each of the plurality of distance information indicates a position of the corresponding printer The acquisition unit is generated based on position information and the terminal position information, and at least one of the distance information and the printer position information is transmitted from each of the plurality of printers to the terminal device; ,
An extraction unit that preferentially extracts a printer having a short distance to the terminal device from the plurality of printers based on the distance information;
A print instruction unit that transmits a print instruction for causing a specific printer among the one or more extracted printers to perform printing;
A terminal device. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:
A first transmission unit configured to transmit condition information indicating printing conditions for printing based on the printing instruction to each of the plurality of printers;
The acquisition unit acquires at least one of the distance information and the printer position information from a printer capable of executing printing according to the printing condition indicated by the condition information among the plurality of printers. Terminal equipment. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:
Prior to the printing instruction, each of the plurality of printers includes a registration unit that registers printer position information indicating the position of each printer,
The registration unit includes a first reception unit that receives a predetermined operation from a user.
The registration unit is configured to register the terminal device information at the time when the predetermined operation is received as the printer position information in a corresponding printer among the plurality of printers. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The print instruction unit includes:
When the distance between the terminal device and the specific printer is equal to or less than a reference value, the print instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing is transmitted,
A terminal device that does not transmit the print instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing when a distance between the terminal device and the destination printer is larger than a reference value. The terminal device according to claim 5,
The print instruction unit periodically acquires the terminal position information when the print instruction is not transmitted to the specific printer because the distance between the terminal device and the printer is larger than a reference value. 2 position information acquisition units,
The print instruction unit transmits the print instruction to cause the specific printer to execute printing when the distance between the terminal device and the specific printer becomes a reference value or less due to movement of the terminal device. Terminal device. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The extraction unit extracts one printer having the shortest distance from the terminal device as the specific printer,
The print instruction unit transmits the print instruction to cause the extracted specific printer to execute printing. The terminal device according to claim 7, further comprising:
A second receiving unit that receives from a user an instruction to cause the specific printer of the one or more extracted printers to perform printing;
The terminal device, wherein the print instruction unit transmits the print instruction for causing the specific printer to execute printing when an instruction for causing the specific printer to perform printing is received from a user. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The extraction unit extracts a plurality of printers whose distance from the terminal device is shorter than a reference,
The terminal device further includes a third reception unit that receives from the user a selection instruction to select one of the plurality of extracted printers as the specific printer,
The terminal device, wherein the print instruction unit transmits the print instruction for causing the specific printer selected by the selection instruction to execute printing. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising:
A display unit;
A display control unit for displaying a notification display for notifying a user of the position of the specific printer on the display unit;
With
The notification display includes information indicating a direction of a position of the specific printer with a position of the terminal device as a base point. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising:
A second transmitter for transmitting the terminal position information to each of the plurality of printers;
The acquisition unit is the distance information generated based on the printer position information stored in each of the plurality of printers and the terminal position information, and each of the plurality of printers and the terminal A terminal device that acquires the distance information indicating a distance to the device from each of the plurality of printers. A terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The acquisition unit acquires the printer position information from each of the plurality of printers;
The acquisition unit includes a distance information generation unit that generates the distance information based on the terminal position information and the printer position information. A system including a terminal device and a printer,
The terminal device
An acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device using a GPS receiver;
A transmission unit that transmits the terminal position information to the printer using NFC communication;
With
The printer is
A receiver that receives the terminal location information from the terminal device using NFC communication;
A storage processing unit for storing the received terminal position information in a memory as printer position information representing the position of the printer;
A system comprising: The system according to application example 13,
The acquisition unit of the terminal device acquires the terminal position information in a state where the terminal device and the printer can communicate using NFC communication. A terminal device,
An acquisition unit that acquires terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device using a GPS receiver;
A transmission unit that transmits the terminal position information to the printer using NFC communication;
With
When the portable terminal is in a specific mode and the terminal device and the portable terminal are in a state where communication is possible using NFC communication, the transmission unit transmits the terminal position information to the printer. Terminal device to send to. The terminal device according to application example 15,
The said acquisition part is a terminal device which acquires the said terminal position information, when the said terminal device and the said printer change to the state which can communicate using NFC communication. A computer program for controlling a terminal device,
A position acquisition function for acquiring terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device;
An acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of distance information corresponding to each of a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer that performs printing, each of the plurality of distance information including a latitude indicating a position of the corresponding printer And the acquisition function that is generated based on the coordinate information including the longitude and the terminal position information;
An extraction function for preferentially extracting a printer having a short distance to the terminal device from the plurality of printers based on the distance information;
A print instruction function for transmitting a print instruction for causing a specific printer among the extracted one or more printers to execute printing;
A computer program that causes a computer to realize A computer program for controlling a terminal device,
A position acquisition function for acquiring terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device;
An acquisition function for acquiring a plurality of distance information corresponding to each of a plurality of printers that are candidates for a printer to execute printing, wherein each of the plurality of distance information indicates a position of the corresponding printer The acquisition function, generated based on position information and the terminal position information, wherein at least one of the distance information and the printer position information is transmitted from each of the plurality of printers to the terminal device;
An extraction function for preferentially extracting a printer having a short distance to the terminal device from the plurality of printers based on the distance information;
A print instruction function for transmitting a print instruction for causing a specific printer among the extracted one or more printers to execute printing;
A computer program that causes a computer to realize A computer program for controlling a terminal device,
An acquisition function for acquiring terminal position information representing the position of the terminal device using a GPS receiver;
A transmission function for transmitting the terminal position information to the printer using NFC communication;
Is realized on a computer,
When the mobile terminal is in a specific mode and the terminal device and the mobile terminal transition to a state in which communication is possible using NFC communication, the transmission function transmits the terminal location information to the printer. A computer program to send to.

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