JP2020074137A - Program and portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a portable terminal and program that improve convenience of users upon repeatedly indicating an execution of output operations.SOLUTION: A terminal program is configured to make a portable terminal execute: identification processing (S46: identified as the device) of identifying an image output device connected by means of near field communication as a designated device; first storage processing (S51) of causing connection information received from the designated device to be stored in a memory; first reception processing (S42) of receiving a designation of designated data; reception regulation processing (S45) of not receiving an instruction operation through an input I/F in accordance with non-storage of the connection information (S43:No); second reception processing (S44 and S46) of receiving the instruction operation through the input I/F in accordance with the storage of the connection information (S43:Yes); and first output instruction processing (S48) of transmitting output instruction information to the designated device through a Wi-Fi communication I/F, using the connection information stored in the memory.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a program for a mobile terminal that operates an image output device using short-range wireless communication.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a system in which the mobile terminal instructs the printer to execute a print operation, triggered by the short-distance wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the printer. According to the system of Patent Document 1, the user of the mobile terminal can cause the printer to perform the print operation by merely bringing the mobile terminal closer to the range where short-range wireless communication with the printer is possible.

JP, 2014-195151, A

  However, in the system of Patent Document 1, the user of the mobile terminal has to go close to the printer every time he or she wants the printer to execute a printing operation. That is, the system of Patent Document 1 may impair the convenience of the user when repeatedly instructing the same printer to execute a print operation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the convenience of a user when repeatedly instructing an image output device connected in proximity wireless communication to execute an output operation. To provide a program for a mobile terminal.

  The program described in the present specification includes a first communication interface capable of short-range wireless communication, a second communication interface capable of wireless communication having a wider communication range than the first communication interface, a memory, and a user operation. It can be executed by a mobile terminal having an input interface for receiving. The program specifies the image output device that is short-distance wirelessly connected to the first communication interface as a specified device, and the connection information for communicating with the specified device through the second communication interface. A receiving process for receiving from a device, a first storing process for storing the connection information received in the receiving process in the memory, a first receiving process for receiving a user operation for designating designated data through the input interface, According to the designation data designated in the first acceptance process, a first determination process of determining whether or not the connection information is stored in the memory, and a first determination process of not storing the connection information in the memory. In response to the determination, an instruction operation corresponding to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute an output operation is performed through the input interface. To execute the acceptance restriction processing and careful to not only to the mobile terminal. The output operation is an operation of outputting the designated data. The program has a second acceptance process for accepting the instruction operation through the input interface and a second acceptance process for accepting the instruction operation through the input interface in response to determining that the program is stored. Accordingly, the mobile terminal is caused to execute a first output instruction process of transmitting output instruction information to the designated device through the second communication interface using the connection information stored in the memory. The output instruction information is information for instructing execution of the output operation for the designated data.

A mobile terminal described in the present specification includes a first communication interface capable of short-range wireless communication,
A second communication interface capable of wireless communication having a wider communication range than the first communication interface, a memory, an input interface for receiving a user operation, and a control unit are provided. The control unit may specify a specific process of specifying an image output device that is short-distance wirelessly connected to the first communication interface as a specified device, and connection information for communicating with the specified device through the second communication interface. A receiving process for receiving from a designated device, a first storing process for storing the connection information received in the receiving process in the memory, and a first receiving process for receiving a user operation for designating designated data through the input interface, A first determination process of determining whether or not the connection information is stored in the memory in response to the designation data being designated in the first reception process; and a first determination process of not storing the connection information. In response to the determination made in step 1, the instruction operation corresponding to the instruction to cause the designated device to execute the output operation is received through the input interface. Give not to run and accept regulation process. The output operation is an operation of outputting the designated data. The control unit, in response to having determined in the first determination process that the control unit has been stored, receives a second acceptance process that accepts the instruction operation through the input interface, and an instruction operation that is accepted by the second acceptance process. Accordingly, the connection information stored in the memory is used to execute a first output instruction process of transmitting output instruction information to the designated device through the second communication interface. The output instruction information is information for instructing execution of the output operation for the designated data.

  According to the above configuration, the connection information of the image output device is stored in the memory by establishing the close proximity wireless connection between the mobile terminal and the image output device. Then, in response to the user's instruction to perform the output operation, the output instruction information is transmitted from the mobile terminal to the image output device using the connection information. That is, the user of the mobile terminal can repeatedly instruct execution of the output operation even from a place away from the image output device by holding the mobile terminal once over the image output device that the user wants to perform the output operation.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a system 100 according to the embodiment. 2A is a block diagram of the multi-function device 10, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the mobile terminal 50. FIG. 3 is an example of information stored in the data storage area 62B, in which (A) shows designated device information, (B) shows first condition information, and (C) shows second condition information. FIG. 4A shows a flowchart of main processing, and FIG. 4B shows a flowchart of device selection processing. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the device switching process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the print instruction process. FIG. 7 is a display example of the display 53, where (A) shows a main screen and (B) shows a device selection screen. 8A and 8B show display examples of the display 53, where FIG. 8A shows a switching confirmation screen and FIG. 8B shows a data selection screen. 9A and 9B are display examples of the display 53, where FIG. 9A shows a preview screen including a valid [print] icon 153, and FIG. 9B illustrates a preview screen including an invalid [print] icon 153. FIG. 10 is a display example of the display 53, where (A) shows a setting screen for specifying the second condition information, and (B) shows a setting screen for specifying the first condition information.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, the execution order of each process described below can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a system 100 according to this embodiment. The system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of multi-function peripherals 10A and 10B (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “multi-function peripheral 10”) and a mobile terminal 50. The multi-function device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 are configured to be communicable via the communication network 101. The communication network 101 may be, for example, a wired LAN, a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the multifunction device 10 includes a printer 11, a scanner 12, a FAX unit 13, a display 23, an input I / F 24, an NFC communication I / F 25, and a Wi-Fi communication. The I / F 26, the CPU 31, the memory 32, and the communication bus 33 are mainly provided. The respective constituent elements of the multifunction peripheral 10 are connected to each other via the communication bus 33. The multifunction device 10 is an example of an image processing device or an image output device.

  The printer 11 executes a print operation for recording an image represented by image data on a sheet. As a recording method of the printer 11, an inkjet method, an electrophotographic method, or the like can be adopted. The scanner 12 performs a scanning operation of reading an image recorded on a document and generating image data. The FAX unit 13 executes a FAX transmission operation and a FAX reception operation of transmitting and receiving image data in a method based on the FAX protocol. The print operation and the FAX transmission operation are examples of the output operation. In addition, the multi-function device 10 may be capable of performing a combined operation in which a plurality of operations are combined. For example, the copy operation of recording the image data generated by the scan operation on the sheet by the print operation is an example of the composite operation.

  The operations that can be executed by the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B may be different. The multifunction peripheral 10A according to the present embodiment can execute a print operation and a FAX operation. On the other hand, the multifunction peripheral 10B according to the present embodiment can execute a print operation, a scan operation, and a copy operation. Further, the image processing device and the image output device are not limited to those capable of executing a plurality of operations, and may be capable of executing only a single operation.

  The display 23 is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display or the like, and has a display surface for displaying various information.

  The input I / F 24 is a user interface that receives an input operation by the user. Specifically, the input I / F 24 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 31. Furthermore, the input I / F 24 may include a film-shaped touch sensor that is superimposed on the display surface of the display 23. The operation of designating an object displayed on the display surface of the display 23 and the operation of inputting a character string or a numerical string are examples of user operations. The “object” is, for example, a character string displayed on the display 23, an icon, a button, a link, or the like.

  The input I / F 24, which is realized as a touch sensor, outputs position information indicating the position touched by the user on the display surface. It should be noted that the term “touch” in this specification includes all operations for bringing the input medium into contact with the display surface. In addition, even if the input medium does not touch the display surface, "hover" or "floating touch" that brings the input medium close to a position where the distance between the input surface and the display surface is very small is referred to as the above-mentioned "touch" concept. May be included. Further, the input medium may be a user's finger, a touch pen, or the like. The user operation of tapping the position of the icon displayed on the display 23 is an example of a specifying operation for specifying the icon.

  The NFC communication I / F 25 is an example of a first communication interface capable of transmitting / receiving a wireless signal to / from an external device. That is, the multi-function device 10 outputs various information to the mobile terminal 50 through the NFC communication I / F 25 and receives various information from the mobile terminal 50 through the NFC communication I / F 25. Note that the communication range of wireless communication through the NFC communication I / F 25 (hereinafter referred to as “NFC communication”) is the wireless communication through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 (hereinafter referred to as “Wi-Fi communication”). It is narrower than the communication range. The communication speed of NFC communication is slower than the communication speed of Wi-Fi communication.

  The NFC communication I / F 25 is an interface for performing wireless communication by a short-range wireless system that complies with the NFC standard. NFC communication is an example of near field communication. The NFC communication I / F 25 is equipped with an IC chip having a memory that stores information to be transferred to and from an external device. The NFC standard is an example of a short-range wireless communication protocol. As another example of the short-range wireless communication protocol, TransferJet (registered trademark of TransferJet Consortium) or the like may be adopted.

  The Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 is an example of a second communication interface capable of communicating with an external device. The multi-function device 10 outputs various information to the mobile terminal 50 through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 and receives various information from the mobile terminal 50 through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26. The communication range of Wi-Fi communication is wider than the communication range of NFC communication. The communication speed of Wi-Fi communication is faster than the communication speed of NFC communication.

  The Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 can perform indirect wireless communication by wirelessly communicating with an external device through the communication network 101. More specifically, the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 can wirelessly communicate with an external device via a relay device such as an access point. Further, the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 may be capable of direct wireless communication by wirelessly communicating with an external device without passing through a relay device. Among Wi-Fi communications, wireless communication that does not pass through a relay device is referred to as “Wi-Fi direct communication”. Although the specific communication procedure of the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26 is not particularly limited, for example, Wi-Fi can be adopted for indirect wireless communication and Wi-Fi direct can be adopted for direct wireless communication.

  The CPU 31 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. The CPU 31 acquires various programs described below from the memory 32 based on various information output from the input I / F 24, various information acquired from an external device through the NFC communication I / F 25 and the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26, and the like. To execute. That is, the CPU 31 and the memory 32 configure an example of the control unit.

  The memory 32 has a program storage area 32A and a data storage area 32B. An OS 34 and a device program 35 are stored in the program storage area 32A. The device program 35 may be a single program or an aggregate of a plurality of programs. The data storage area 32B stores data or information required to execute the device program 35. The memory 32 is configured by, for example, a RAM, a ROM, an EEPROM, an HDD, a portable storage medium such as a USB memory that is attached to and detached from the multifunction device 10, a buffer included in the CPU 31, or the like, or a combination thereof.

  The memory 32 may be a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium is a non-transmission medium. In addition to the above examples, the non-transmission medium also includes a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM. The non-transmission medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electric signal that carries a program downloaded from a server or the like on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in the media. The same applies to the memory 62 of the mobile terminal 50 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the portable terminal 50 communicates with the display 53, the input I / F 54, the NFC communication I / F 55, the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56, the CPU 61, the memory 62, and the communication. The bus 63 is mainly provided. The display 53, the input I / F 54, the NFC communication I / F 55, the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56, the CPU 61, the memory 62, and the communication bus 63 included in the mobile terminal 50 are the display 23 and the input I included in the multifunction peripheral 10. / F24, NFC communication I / F25, Wi-Fi communication I / F26, CPU 31, memory 32, and communication bus 33 have the same configurations, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. The CPU 61 and the memory 62 are an example of a control unit.

  The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. More specifically, the display 53 of the mobile terminal 50 preferably has a display screen size of 12 inches or less, more preferably 8 inches or less. Further, it is desirable that the input I / F 54 of the portable terminal 50 is a touch sensor that is overlaid on the display screen of the display 53.

  The program storage area 62A of the memory 62 stores an OS 64 and a terminal program 65. The OS 64 may be, for example, Android (registered trademark of Google inc.) OS, iOS (registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.), Windows Phone (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation) Operating System, or the like.

  The terminal program 65 is a program that causes a designated device to perform a designated operation for designated data. The designated data refers to image data designated by the user. The designated action refers to the action designated by the user. The designation device refers to the multifunction machine 10 designated by the user. The terminal program 65 can receive designation data, a designation operation, and a user operation for designating a designation device. Hereinafter, data identification information for identifying designated data will be referred to as “designated data ID”, operation identification information for identifying designated operation will be referred to as “designated operation ID”, and device identification information for identifying a designated device will be referred to as “designated device ID”. It may be described as "ID".

  The data storage area 62B can store designated device information, for example, as shown in FIG. When the terminal program 65 is installed, the designated device information is not stored in the data storage area 62B. Then, the terminal program 65 causes the data storage area 62B to store the device information received from the multifunction device 10 in steps S24 and S35, which will be described later. The designated device information is the device information received from the designated device. The designated device information according to the present embodiment includes a device ID, connection information, and capability information.

  The device ID is device identification information for identifying the designated device. In this embodiment, the multifunction device 10A is identified by the device ID “MFP-A”, and the multifunction device 10B is identified by the device ID “MFP-B”. The connection information is information for communicating with the designated device through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56. In the present embodiment, the IP address is described as an example of the connection information, but the specific example of the connection information is not limited to this, and may be a subnet mask, a MAC address, an SSID, or a combination thereof.

  The capability information is information indicating the capability of the multifunction machine 10. More specifically, the capability information is information indicating a list of execution conditions that can be specified when executing the print operation. The capability information includes sheet feed tray information, sheet discharge tray information, and color information, for example, as shown in FIG. The paper feed tray information is information for specifying the tray of the paper feed source of the sheet on which the image is recorded in the printing operation. The paper discharge tray information is information for specifying a paper discharge destination tray of a sheet on which an image is recorded by a print operation. The color information is information for indicating a color (for example, “monochrome” or “color”) used for the printing operation.

  In the capability information shown in FIG. 3A, one of “tray 1” and “tray 2” can be designated as the sheet feeding source as the execution condition of the print operation to be executed by the multifunction peripheral 10A. It is indicated that only "tray 1" can be designated as the discharge destination and either "monochrome" or "color" can be designated as the color used for the printing operation. That is, the printer 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10A is a color printer including two paper feed trays and one paper discharge tray. Although illustration of capability information of the multifunction peripheral 10B is omitted, it may be the same as or different from that of the multifunction peripheral 10A.

  The paper feed tray information, the paper discharge tray information, and the color information are examples of items included in the execution condition. However, specific examples of items included in the execution condition are not limited to these. The execution conditions corresponding to the scan operation are, for example, resolution information indicating the reading resolution, color information indicating the reading color, format information indicating the format of the generated image data (for example, "JPEG", "TIFF", etc.), and the like. Items may be included. The execution condition corresponding to the FAX transmission operation is, for example, acquisition source information indicating an acquisition source (for example, "scanner", "storage", etc.) of image data to be FAX-transmitted, transmission destination information (identifying a FAX transmission destination device) For example, items such as a telephone number) may be included.

  Further, the data storage area 62B can store the first condition information as shown in FIG. 3B, for example. The first condition information is information indicating the execution condition of the print operation to be executed by the designated device. The first condition information is not stored in the data storage area 62B when the terminal program 65 is installed, but is stored in the data storage area 62B in association with the designated device information in step S47 when the designated device information is stored. And is initialized in steps S24 and S35.

  Further, the data storage area 62B can store the second condition information as shown in FIG. 3C, for example. The second condition information is information indicating the execution condition of the print operation to be executed by the device specified through the NFC communication I / F 55. The second condition information is stored in the data storage area 62B when the terminal program 65 is installed, for example, and can be changed in step S47 when the designated device information is not stored.

  Furthermore, a data folder may be provided in the data storage area 62B. Photo data, document data, presentation data, spreadsheet data, etc. may be stored in the data folder, for example. Various data stored in the data folder are data that can be designated data.

  In this specification, a device capable of communicating in the procedure conforming to the NFC standard is referred to as “NFC device”, and communication performed in the procedure conforming to the NFC standard is referred to as “NFC communication”. That is, the multi-function peripheral 10 and the mobile terminal 50 are examples of NFC devices. The multi-function device 10 and the portable terminal 50 operate in any one of a P2P (Peer to Peer) mode, a Reader mode, a Writer mode, and a CE (Card Emulation) mode. In the present specification, the Reader mode and the Writer mode may be collectively referred to as “R / W mode”.

  The P2P mode is a mode for executing bidirectional communication between a pair of NFC devices. The R / W mode and the CE mode are modes for performing one-way communication between a pair of NFC devices. The Reader mode is a mode for reading information and the like from an NFC device operating in CE mode. The Writer mode is a mode for writing various information into the NFC device operating in the CE mode.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the multifunction peripheral 10 operates in the CE mode and the mobile terminal 50 operates in the R / W mode will be mainly described. That is, the portable terminal 50 operating in the R / W mode can read information and the like from the multifunction device 10 operating in the CE mode and can write information and the like in the multifunction device 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the multi-function peripheral 10 may operate in the R / W mode, the mobile terminal 50 may operate in the CE mode, or both the multi-function peripheral 10 and the mobile terminal 50 may be P2P. It may operate in mode.

  The NFC communication I / F 55 of the mobile terminal 50 in the present embodiment executes the Poll operation. The Poll operation is an operation of repeatedly outputting a polling signal at a predetermined time interval and monitoring a response signal which is a response to the polling signal. On the other hand, the NFC communication I / F 25 of the multifunction machine 10 in the present embodiment executes the Listen operation. The Listen operation is an operation of monitoring a polling signal and outputting a response signal on condition that the polling signal is received.

  The NFC communication I / F 25 of the multifunction device 10 receives the polling signal output by the NFC communication I / F 55 of the portable device 50 due to the proximity of the multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50, and the NFC communication I / F of the multifunction device 10 The NFC communication I / F 55 of the portable terminal 50 receives the response signal output by F25. As a result, an NFC communication link (hereinafter referred to as “NFC link”) is established between the multi-function device 10 and the portable terminal 50 by a predetermined procedure according to the NFC standard. After that, the multi-function device 10 and the portable terminal 50 transmit and receive information and the like through this NFC link.

[Operation of system 100]
The operation of the system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Note that, at the start of the process shown in FIG. 4, the NFC communication I / F 25 of the multi-function device 10 has already executed the Listen operation, and the NFC communication I / F 55 of the portable terminal 50 has executed the Poll operation. And Further, it is assumed that the designated device information is not stored in the data storage area 62B of the portable terminal 50 at the start of the process shown in FIG.

  The flowchart in this specification basically shows the processing of the CPUs 31 and 61 according to the instructions described in the program. That is, the processes such as “determination”, “extraction”, “selection”, and “control” in the following description represent the processes of the CPUs 31 and 61. The processing by the CPU 61 also includes hardware control via the OS 64. Further, “data” in this specification is represented by a computer-readable bit string. Data having substantially the same meaning and different formats are treated as the same data. The same applies to "information" in this specification.

[Main processing]
The terminal program 65 of the portable terminal 50 executes the main process shown in FIG. 4A in response to being activated by the user. First, the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the main screen shown in FIG. 7 (A) (S11). The main screen includes operation icons 111, 112, 113, 114, a status icon 115, and a switching icon 116. Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation on the main screen through the input I / F 54 (S12).

  The operation icon 111 corresponds to the print operation, the operation icon 112 corresponds to the scan operation, the operation icon 113 corresponds to the copy operation, and the operation icon 114 corresponds to the FAX transmission operation and the FAX reception operation. The status icon 115 corresponds to an instruction to display a status screen showing the state of the designated device. The description of the details of the status screen is omitted. The switch icon 116 corresponds to an instruction to switch the designated device. Further, in the switching icon 116 shown in FIG. 7A, a character string of "unselected" indicating that the designated device is not designated at the moment is described.

  The terminal program 65 waits while the main screen is displayed until the user operation on the main screen is accepted through the input I / F 54. The terminal program 65 executes the device selection process, for example, in response to receiving the designation of the switching icon 116 through the input I / F 54 (S12: switching icon) (S13). Details of the device selection process will be described with reference to FIG.

[Device selection process]
First, the terminal program 65 uses SNMP (abbreviation of Simple Network Management Protocol), for example, to search for a plurality of multifunction devices 10 capable of wireless communication through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56 (S21). Specifically, the terminal program 65 broadcasts the transmission request information to the communication network 101 through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56. Next, the terminal program 65 receives the device information transmitted by the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B as a response to the transmission request information through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56. That is, the terminal program 65 specifies the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B that are the transmission sources of the device information as the multifunction peripherals 10 capable of wireless communication. It should be noted that the method of searching for the multifunction peripheral 10 capable of wireless communication may be another known method.

  Next, the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the device selection screen shown in FIG. 7B (S22). The device selection screen includes a message “Tap the icon or hold it over the device.” And device icons 121 and 122. The device icons 121 and 122 correspond to the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B identified in step S21. Further, in the device icons 121 and 122, the device IDs of the corresponding multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B are described. Next, the terminal program 65 waits with the device selection screen displayed until it receives a user operation on the device selection screen or receives a response signal through the NFC communication I / F 55.

  Although illustration is omitted, the device selection screen is divided into a first screen that displays a list of device icons 121 and 122 and a second screen that prompts the user to hold the portable terminal 50 over the device that is to perform the output operation. Good. Then, the device selection screen may include an icon corresponding to an instruction to switch from one of the first screen and the second screen to the other.

  Next, the terminal program 65 designates the device information received from the multifunction peripheral 10B corresponding to the device icon 122, for example, in response to receiving the designation of the device icon 122 through the input I / F 54 (S23: device icon). The device information is stored in the data storage area 62B (S24). When the designated device information is already stored in the data storage area 62B, the terminal program 65 overwrites the designated device information with new designated device information. The user operation of designating the device icon 122 is an example of a designating operation of designating the multifunction peripheral 10B as the designating device.

  On the other hand, the terminal program 65 receives a response signal from the multifunction device 10A through the NFC communication I / F 55 that is executing the Poll operation, for example, when the user brings the portable terminal 50 closer to the multifunction device 10A (S23: to device). Hold over). Then, the terminal program 65 establishes an NFC link with the multifunction peripheral 10A that is the transmission source of the response signal. Then, the terminal program 65 identifies the multifunction peripheral 10A with which the NFC link is established as the designated device. This process is an example of the specific process. Receiving a response signal from the multi-function peripheral 10A or establishing an NFC link with the multi-function peripheral 10A is an example of short-distance wireless connection between the NFC communication I / F 55 and the multi-function peripheral 10A. Further, the operation of the user who holds the portable terminal 50 over the multifunction device 10A is an example of the designation operation for designating the multifunction device 10A as the designation device.

[Device switching process]
Next, the terminal program 65 executes the device switching process in response to the fact that the multifunction peripheral 10A having the NFC link established is specified as the designated device (S23: hold over the device) (S25). The device switching process is a process in which device information is received from the multifunction peripheral 10A that is connected via short-range wireless communication, and the received device information is stored in the data storage area 62B as designated device information. Details of the device switching process will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the terminal program 65 receives device information from the multifunction peripheral 10A (S31). As an example, the terminal program 65 may receive the device information from the multifunction peripheral 10A via the NFC communication I / F 55 in which the NFC link is established. As another example, the terminal program 65 may receive the connection information necessary for the Wi-Fi Direct connection from the multifunction peripheral 10A through the NFC communication I / F 55 in which the NFC link is established. Then, the terminal program 65 uses the received connection information to establish a Wi-Fi direct connection with the multifunction peripheral 10A, and receives device information from the multifunction peripheral 10A through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56 connected to the Wi-Fi direct connection. Good. The process of step S31 is an example of the receiving process.

  Next, the terminal program 65 determines whether or not indirect wireless communication is possible between the multifunction device 10A and the portable terminal 50 (S32). In other words, the terminal program 65 determines whether the multifunction peripheral 10A and the portable terminal 50 are connected to the same communication network 101. If the terminal program 65 determines whether the IP address included in the device information received in step S31 and the IP address set in the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56 have a common network address, for example. Good. The process of step S32 is an example of the second determination process.

  Next, the terminal program 65 displays an error screen (not shown) on the display 53 in response to determining that the multifunction peripheral 10A and the mobile terminal 50 are not connected to the same communication network 101 (S32: No). (S33). The error screen includes, for example, a message such as "The multifunction device 10A cannot be designated as the designated device."

  On the other hand, the terminal program 65 responds to the determination that the multifunction peripheral 10A and the portable terminal 50 are connected to the same communication network 101 (S32: Yes). It is determined whether the designated device information is already stored in the data storage area 62B (S34). Then, in response to the terminal program 65 determining that the designated device information is not yet stored in the data storage area 62B (S34: No), the device information received in step S31 is used as the designated device information in the data storage area. It is stored in 62B (S35). The process of step S34 is an example of a third determination process, and the process of step S35 is an example of a first storage process.

  On the other hand, when the terminal program 65 determines that the designated device information is already stored in the data storage area 62B (S34: Yes), it displays the switching confirmation screen shown in FIG. (S36). The switching confirmation screen includes a message "Do you want to switch the designated device? / Current device: MFP-B / New device: MFP-A", a [YES] icon 131, and a [NO] icon 132. Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation on the switching confirmation screen through the input I / F 54 (S37).

  The terminal program 65 waits while the switching confirmation screen is displayed until a user operation on the switching confirmation screen is accepted through the input I / F 54. Then, in response to receiving the designation of the [YES] icon 131 through the input I / F 54 (S37: YES icon), the terminal program 65 sets the designated device information already stored in the data storage area 62B to the step S31. It is overwritten with the device information received in step S35. On the other hand, when the terminal program 65 receives the designation of the [NO] icon 132 through the input I / F 54 (S37: NO icon), the terminal switching process is terminated without executing the process of step S35. The designation of the [YES] icon 131 is an example of a user operation for selecting overwriting designated device information. The process of step S37 is an example of the fourth reception process.

  Returning to FIG. 4A, the terminal program 65 uses the designated device information updated in the device selection process to execute the processes in and after step S11. That is, the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the main screen including the switching icon 116 described as “MFP-A” in step S11 immediately after the portable terminal 50 is held over the multifunction peripheral 10A in step S13. Just do it. In addition, the terminal program 65 displays operation icons 111 and 114 corresponding to operations that can be executed by the multifunction peripheral 10A, which is the designated device, on the main screen, and operation icons 112 corresponding to operations that the multifunction peripheral 10A cannot execute. , 113 may be hidden.

  Next, the terminal program 65 receives the designation of one of the action icons 111 to 114 included in the main screen through the input I / F 54 (S12: action icon), and then performs the action corresponding to the designated action icon. The ID is temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B as the specified operation ID, and the execution instruction process corresponding to the specified operation icon is executed (S14). The user operation of designating the motion icon is an example of the user operation of designating the motion. Hereinafter, the print instruction process shown in FIG. 6 will be described as an example of the execution instruction process corresponding to the operation icon 111.

[Print instruction processing]
First, the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the data selection screen shown in FIG. 8B (S41). The data selection screen includes a plurality of data icons 141, 142, 143. The data icons 141 to 143 correspond to, for example, various data stored in a data folder or various data stored in a server (not shown) on the Internet. Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation on the data selection screen through the input I / F 54 (S42).

  The terminal program 65 waits while displaying the data selection screen until the user operation on the data selection screen is accepted through the input I / F 54 (S42: No). Then, for example, in response to the designation of the data icon 141 received through the input I / F 54 (S42: Yes), the terminal program 65 determines the data “photograph.JPEG” corresponding to the data icon 141 as designated data. That is, the terminal program 65 causes the data storage area 62B to temporarily store the data ID “photo.JPEG” corresponding to the designated data icon 141 as the designated data ID. The user operation of designating the data icon 141 is an example of the user operation of designating the designated data. The process of step S42 is an example of the first reception process.

  Next, the terminal program 65 determines whether the designated device information is stored in the data storage area 62B (S43). Then, in response to the determination that the designated device information is stored in the data storage area 62B (S43: Yes), the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the preview screen shown in FIG. 9 (A) ( S44). On the other hand, when the terminal program 65 determines that the designated device information is not stored in the data storage area 62B (S43: No), it causes the display 53 to display the preview screen shown in FIG. S45). The process of step S43 is an example of the first determination process, the process of step S44 is an example of the preview process, and the process of step S45 is an example of the reception regulation process.

  The preview screen includes a message, a preview image 151, a [setting] icon 152, and a [print] icon 153. The preview image 151 is an image showing the execution result of the designated operation for the designated data. That is, the preview image 151 according to the present embodiment is an image in which the image represented by the data “photograph.JPEG” is recorded on a sheet. The [Setting] icon 152 corresponds to an instruction to specify or change the condition information. The [print] icon 153 corresponds to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute a printing operation.

  The preview screen shown in FIG. 9A includes a message “Tap the icon or hold it over the device.” And an activated [print] icon 153. On the other hand, the preview screen shown in FIG. 9B includes a message “Please hold over the device.” And a disabled [print] icon 153. The activated [print] icon 153 indicates, for example, a state in which the associated process is executed in response to being designated through the input I / F 54. On the other hand, the invalidated [print] icon 153 indicates a state in which the associated process is not executed even if it is designated through the input I / F 54, for example. Although the [Print] icon 153 is grayed out in the example of FIG. 9B, the [Print] icon 153 may be hidden.

  Next, the terminal program 65 waits with the preview selection screen displayed until it receives a user operation on the preview screen through the input I / F 54 or receives a response signal through the NFC communication I / F 55. Next, the terminal program 65 causes the display 53 to display the setting screen shown in FIG. 10 in response to the designation of the [setting] icon received through the input I / F 54 (S46: setting icon). Then, the terminal program 65 receives a user operation on the setting screen through the input I / F 54.

  FIG. 10A is an example of a setting screen when the designated device information is not stored in the data storage area 62B, and includes a plurality of radio buttons 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166 and [OK]. And an icon 168. The radio button 161 corresponds to the paper feed tray information “tray 1”, the radio button 162 corresponds to the paper feed tray information “tray 2”, the radio button 163 corresponds to the paper discharge tray information “tray 1”, and the radio button 164 corresponds to the discharge tray information “Tray 2”, the radio button 165 corresponds to the color information “monochrome”, and the radio button 166 corresponds to the color information “color”. The [Done] icon 168 corresponds to an instruction to determine the condition information.

  The terminal program 65 waits with the setting screen displayed until a user operation for designating the [Enter] icon 168 is accepted through the input I / F 54. In addition, the terminal program 65 indicates execution conditions corresponding to the checked radio buttons 161 to 166 in response to receiving the designation of the [Enter] icon 168 shown in FIG. 10A through the input I / F 54. The second condition information is stored in the data storage area 62B (S47). That is, when the [OK] icon 168 is designated in the state of FIG. 10A, as shown in FIG. 3C, the paper feed tray information “tray 1”, the paper discharge tray information “tray 1”, The second condition information including the color information “monochrome” is stored in the data storage area 62B.

  On the other hand, FIG. 10 (B) is an example of the setting screen when the designated device information shown in FIG. 3 (A) is stored in the data storage area 62B, in that the radio button 164 is not included. Unlike FIG. 10A, the other points are common to FIG. The radio buttons 161, 162, 163, 165, 166 shown in FIG. 10B correspond to the execution conditions shown by the capability information included in the designated device information. That is, the terminal program 65 can accept a user operation for designating the execution condition within the range of the capability information of the designated device through the setting screen shown in FIG. This process is an example of the third reception process.

  Then, the terminal program 65 indicates the execution conditions corresponding to the checked radio buttons 161 to 166 in response to receiving the designation of the [Enter] icon 168 shown in FIG. 10B through the input I / F 54. The first condition information is stored in the data storage area 62B (S47). The process of step S47 is an example of the third storage process. That is, when the [Enter] icon 168 is designated in the state of FIG. 10B, as shown in FIG. 3B, the paper feed tray information “tray 2”, the paper discharge tray information “tray 1”, The first condition information including the color information "color" is stored in the data storage area 62B.

  Next, the terminal program 65 executes again the processing from step S43. Then, in response to receiving the designation of the activated [print] icon 153 through the input I / F 54 (S46: print icon), the terminal program 65 informs the multifunction peripheral 10A, which is the designation device, of the Wi-Fi communication I. The print instruction information is transmitted through / F56 (S48). On the other hand, the terminal program 65 does not execute the process of step S48 even if the designation of the invalidated [print] icon 153 is accepted through the input I / F 54. The user operation of designating the [print] icon 153 is an example of an instruction operation. The process of accepting the designation of the [print] icon 153 is an example of the second acceptance process, and the process of step S48 is an example of the first output instruction process.

  In step S48, the terminal program 65 sends the print instruction information, which is an example of the output instruction information, to the multifunction device 10A, which is the designated device, by indirect wireless communication or direct wireless communication using the connection information included in the designated device information. Send. The print instruction information transmitted in step S48 is information for executing the print operation for the designated data in accordance with the execution condition indicated by the first condition information. The print instruction information includes, for example, the designation data designated in step S42 and the first condition information stored in the data storage area 62B. In addition, the terminal program 65 may include the second condition information stored in the data storage area 62B in the print instruction information when the first condition information is not stored in the data storage area 62B.

  On the other hand, the terminal program 65 receives a response signal from the multifunction device 10A through the NFC communication I / F 55 that is executing the Poll operation, for example, when the user brings the mobile terminal 50 closer to the multifunction device 10A (S46: to the device). Hold over). Then, the terminal program 65 establishes an NFC link with the multifunction peripheral 10A that is the transmission source of the response signal. During the display of the preview screen, in other words, in the state where the designated data is designated, the user's operation of holding the portable terminal 50 over the multifunction device 10A is the designation operation of designating the multifunction device 10A as the designation device, and the multifunction device 10A 2 is an example of an instruction operation for instructing execution of a print operation.

  Next, the terminal program 65 receives the connection information necessary for the Wi-Fi Direct connection with the multifunction peripheral 10A from the multifunction peripheral 10A through the established NFC link. Next, the terminal program 65 makes a Wi-Fi direct connection with the multifunction peripheral 10A using the received connection information (S49). Then, the terminal program 65 transmits the print instruction information to the multifunction peripheral 10A through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 56 directly connected to the Wi-Fi (S50). The process of step S50 is an example of the second output instruction process.

  The print instruction information transmitted in step S50 is information for executing the print operation for the designated data in accordance with the execution condition indicated by the second condition information. The print instruction information includes, for example, the designation data designated in step S42 and the second condition information stored in the data storage area 62B. Further, in step S49, the terminal program 65 may receive connection information necessary for indirect wireless communication with the multifunction peripheral 10A from the multifunction peripheral 10A through the established NFC link. Then, the terminal program 65 may transmit the print instruction information to the multifunction peripheral 10A by indirect wireless communication.

  Further, the terminal program 65 specifies the multifunction peripheral 10A with which the NFC link is established as the designated device. This process is an example of the specific process. Then, the terminal program 65 executes a device switching process (S51). Since the details of the device switching process have already been described, the repetitive description will be omitted. That is, the device information of the multifunction peripheral 10A with which the NFC link is established is stored in the data storage area 62B as the designated device information.

  On the other hand, although not shown, the device program 35 of the multifunction peripheral 10A receives the print instruction information from the portable terminal 50 through the Wi-Fi communication I / F 26. Then, the device program 35 causes the printer 11 to execute the print operation according to the received print instruction information. That is, the printer 11 records the image indicated by the designated data included in the print instruction information on the sheet according to the execution condition indicated by the condition information included in the print instruction information.

[Operation and effect of the embodiment]
According to the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal 50 and the multifunction peripheral 10A are close-proximity wirelessly connected to each other, that is, the mobile terminal 50 is held over the multifunction peripheral 10A. Is stored in the data storage area 62B as designated device information. Further, the [print] icon 153 is invalidated when the designated device information is not stored in the data storage area 62B, and is validated when the designated device information is stored in the data storage area 62B. Then, in response to designation of the activated [print] icon 153, the print instruction information is transmitted to the multifunction peripheral 10A by indirect wireless communication.

  More specifically, in indirect wireless communication via an access point or the like, if the multifunction peripheral 10A and the portable terminal 50 are connected to the same LAN, for example, regardless of the distance between the multifunction peripheral 10A and the portable terminal 50. Communication is possible. That is, the user of the mobile terminal 50 holds the mobile terminal 50 once over the multi-function peripheral 10A that wants to execute the print operation, and thereafter executes the print operation even at a place away from the multi-function peripheral 10A. Can be instructed to. As a result, it is not necessary to go to the vicinity of the multifunction machine 10A every time the execution of the print operation is repeatedly instructed, so that the convenience of the user is improved.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the display mode of the [print] icon 153 is changed depending on whether or not the designated device information is stored in the data storage area 62B. This allows the user to recognize through the preview screen whether or not the designated device is designated. In addition, the print instruction information is transmitted to the multifunction device 10A when the portable terminal 50 is held over the multifunction device 10A while the preview screen is displayed. That is, when the designated device is not designated, or when it is desired to cause the image output device different from the designated device to perform the print operation, the print operation can be performed by a simple operation.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, in response to the [Print] icon 153 being designated, the multifunction peripheral 10A can be caused to perform the printing operation according to the first condition information associated with the designated device information. it can. On the other hand, by holding the portable terminal 50 over the multifunction device 10A, it is possible to cause the multifunction device 10A to perform the print operation according to the second condition information that is not associated with the designated device information. That is, it is possible to cause the multifunction peripheral 10A to execute the printing operation according to appropriate execution conditions.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, only the radio button corresponding to the execution condition indicated by the capability information is displayed on the setting screen shown in FIG. 10B. As a result, the first condition information is generated within the range of the capability of the multifunction device 10A, so that the multifunction device 10A can be caused to execute the printing operation under appropriate execution conditions. On the other hand, on the setting screen shown in FIG. 10A, radio buttons corresponding to predetermined execution conditions are displayed regardless of the ability of the designated device.

  Further, according to the above-described embodiment, whether or not the multifunction peripheral 10A and the portable terminal 50 are connected to the same communication network 101 is confirmed prior to step S35. As a result, in step S48 executed later, the print instruction information can be reliably transmitted even from a place away from the multifunction peripheral 10A. When the designated device information is already stored in the data storage area 62B, the user is inquired whether to overwrite the designated device information. As a result, it is possible to prevent the designated device information from being overwritten against the user's intention.

  Further, in the multifunction device 10 and the portable terminal 50 of the above-described embodiment, various programs stored in the program storage areas 32A and 62A of the memories 32 and 62 are executed by the CPUs 31 and 61, so that the control unit of the present invention operates. The example in which each process to be executed is realized has been described. However, the configuration of the control unit is not limited to this, and part or all of the configuration may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit.

  Furthermore, the present invention can be realized not only as the multifunction peripheral 10 and the mobile terminal 50, but also as a program that causes the multifunction peripheral 10 and the mobile terminal 50 to execute processing. Then, the program may be provided by being recorded in a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like, as well as a memory mounted in a server that can be connected to the multifunction peripheral 10 and the mobile terminal 50 through the communication network 101. Then, the program stored in the memory of the server may be distributed through the communication network 101 such as the Internet as information or a signal indicating the program.

10 ... Multifunction device 11 ... Printer 12 ... Scanner 13 ... FAX unit 25, 55 ... NFC communication I / F
26, 56 ... Wi-Fi communication I / F
31, 61 ... CPU
32, 62 ... Memory 35 ... Device program 50 ... Mobile terminal 53 ... Display 54 ... Input I / F
65 ... Terminal program

Claims (10)

A portable terminal including a first communication interface capable of short-range wireless communication, a second communication interface capable of wireless communication having a wider communication range than the first communication interface, a memory, and an input interface for receiving a user operation An executable program,
The program is
A specifying process for specifying the image output device, which is short-distance wirelessly connected to the first communication interface, as a specified device;
A receiving process of receiving connection information for communicating with the designated device from the designated device through the second communication interface;
A first storage process for storing the connection information received in the reception process in the memory;
A first accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating designated data through the input interface;
A first determination process for determining whether or not the connection information is stored in the memory in response to the designation data being designated in the first acceptance process;
In response to the determination made in the first determination process that it is not stored, an acceptance operation that does not accept an instruction operation corresponding to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute an output operation to the mobile terminal. The output operation is an operation of outputting the designated data,
The program is
Second acceptance processing for accepting the instructing operation through the input interface in response to the determination made by the first determination processing as being stored;
A first output instruction for transmitting output instruction information to the designated device through the second communication interface using the connection information stored in the memory in response to receiving the instruction operation in the second reception processing. A program that causes the portable terminal to execute a process and the output instruction information is information for instructing execution of the output operation for the designated data. The mobile terminal includes a display,
The program causes the portable terminal to execute a preview process for displaying a preview screen including a preview image and a valid execution instruction object on the display in response to the determination by the first determination process that the program is stored. The preview image is an image showing a state in which the image represented by the designated data is recorded on a sheet,
The program is
In the second reception process, a user operation that specifies the valid execution instruction object is received as the instruction operation,
The program according to claim 1, wherein the preview screen in which the execution instruction object is invalidated is displayed on the display in the reception regulation process.   The program is configured to display the preview screen on the display, and in response to the short-range wireless connection between the first communication interface and the image output device, the image output device short-range wirelessly connected. The program according to claim 2, further causing the mobile terminal to further execute a second output instruction process for transmitting the output instruction information to the mobile terminal via the second communication interface. The second communication interface is capable of direct wireless communication by wirelessly communicating with an external device without passing through a relay device,
The program according to claim 3, wherein the program transmits the output instruction information by the direct wireless communication in the second output instruction process. The memory stores first condition information associated with the connection information and second condition information different from the first condition information, and the first condition information and the second condition information are the It is information that indicates the execution condition of the output operation,
The program is
In the first output instruction process, transmitting the output instruction information for instructing execution of the output operation according to the execution condition indicated by the first condition information,
The program according to claim 3, wherein, in the second output instruction process, the output instruction information for instructing execution of the output operation according to the execution condition indicated by the second condition information is transmitted. The program is
In the receiving process, further receiving capability information indicating a list of the execution conditions that can be designated for the designated device,
A third accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating the execution condition included in the first condition information within the range of the capability information through the input interface;
The program according to claim 5, which causes the mobile terminal to execute a second storage process of storing the first condition information indicating the execution condition designated in the third acceptance process in the memory. The second communication interface is capable of indirect wireless communication that wirelessly communicates with an external device via a relay device,
The program is
A second determination process for determining whether or not the indirect wireless communication with the designated device is possible using the connection information received in the reception process;
In response to the second determination processing determining that the indirect wireless communication is possible, the mobile terminal executes the first storage processing,
7. The program according to claim 1, wherein in the first output instruction process, the output instruction information is transmitted by the indirect wireless communication. The program is
A third determination process of determining whether or not the connection device is already stored in the memory according to the specification device having been specified in the specification process;
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which causes the portable terminal to execute the first storage process in response to the determination made in the third determination process that it is not stored. The program is
A user operation for selecting whether or not to overwrite the connection information stored in the memory with the connection information received in the reception process in response to the determination that the connection information is stored in the third determination process. A fourth acceptance process for accepting through the input interface,
The program according to claim 8, which causes the mobile terminal to execute the first storage process in response to the selection of overwrite in the fourth reception process. A first communication interface capable of short-range wireless communication,
A second communication interface capable of wireless communication having a wider communication range than the first communication interface;
Memory and
An input interface that accepts user operations,
A mobile terminal including a control unit,
The control unit is
A specifying process for specifying the image output device, which is short-distance wirelessly connected to the first communication interface, as a specified device;
A receiving process of receiving connection information for communicating with the designated device from the designated device through the second communication interface;
A first storage process for storing the connection information received in the reception process in the memory;
A first accepting process for accepting a user operation for designating designated data through the input interface;
A first determination process for determining whether or not the connection information is stored in the memory in response to the designation data being designated in the first acceptance process;
In response to the determination in the first determination processing that it is not stored, an instruction operation corresponding to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute an output operation is executed through the reception regulation processing that is not accepted through the input interface. The output operation is an operation of outputting the specified data,
The control unit is
Second acceptance processing for accepting the instructing operation through the input interface in response to the determination made by the first determination processing as being stored;
A first output instruction for transmitting output instruction information to the designated device through the second communication interface using the connection information stored in the memory in response to receiving the instruction operation in the second reception processing. A mobile terminal that executes processing and the output instruction information is information for instructing execution of the output operation for the designated data.