JP2021177393A - Information processor, system, program, and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an information processor that, when transmitting a request to an apparatus connectable to a plurality of networks, can transmit the request to the apparatus without requiring a user to designate a network.SOLUTION: There is provided a program for causing an information processor to function as: acquisition means 12 that acquires first communication information for connecting to an apparatus via a first network and second communication information for connecting to the apparatus via a second network different from the first network; determination means 13 that determines if it is possible to request processing from the apparatus via the first network based on the acquired first communication information; connection means 15 that connects to the apparatus that is determined it is not possible to request processing via the first network, via the second network based on the second communication information; and request means that requests processing from the apparatus that is determined it is possible to request processing via the first network or the apparatus connected by the connection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, a system, a program, and an information processing method.

It would be convenient if the user holding the terminal could use the function of the device by communicating the terminal with another device such as an image forming device by wireless communication because a wired connection is not required. However, in order for the terminal to perform wireless communication with the device, parameters for wireless communication are often required, and it is not always easy to set the wireless communication parameter to the device.

Therefore, conventionally, a technique for setting wireless communication parameters in a terminal without user setting or with minimal user setting has been devised (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, information stored in a user's NFC (Near Field Communication) chip is read so that a wireless communication device can be connected to the same device using different wireless communication parameters, and a home is provided according to the information. A management device for setting a wireless communication parameter for use or a wireless communication parameter for going out to a wireless communication device is disclosed.

However, the method of setting wireless communication parameters disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult for a user to determine which of a plurality of wireless communication parameters should be selected.

A specific example will be described. For example, assume that the image forming apparatus is connected to an employee network dedicated to employees and a guest network for visitors. In this case, if the wireless communication parameters for each network are stored in the NFC chip, the terminal carried by the user can read the wireless communication parameters from the NFC chip and set them in the terminal. However, in general, visitors should not be connected to the employee network, and employees should communicate with the device via the employee network, which is shielded from the outside rather than the guest network. That is, the user should connect to the image forming apparatus via an appropriate network, but it is often difficult to determine which wireless communication parameter the user should select even if the wireless communication parameter or the like can be acquired. ..

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and when transmitting a request to a device that can be connected to a plurality of networks, it is possible to transmit the request to the device without having the user specify the network. The purpose is to provide an information processing device.

In order to achieve the above object, in the embodiment of the present invention, a device capable of receiving an image processing request from a plurality of networks is requested to perform the image processing via any one of the plurality of networks. The first communication information for connecting the information processing device to be connected to the device via the first network, and the first for connecting to the device via a second network different from the first network. According to the acquisition means for acquiring the communication information of No. 2 and the result of attempting to acquire the information via the currently connected network based on the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the device performs the first communication information. With respect to the determination means for determining whether the request for image processing can be accepted via the network of the above and the device for which the determination means is not determined to accept the request for image processing via the first network. A connection means connected via the second network based on the second communication information, and the device determined by the determination means to be able to accept the request for image processing via the first network. Alternatively, a program for causing the device connected by the connecting means to function as a requesting means for requesting the image processing is provided.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, when transmitting a request to a device that can be connected to a plurality of networks, an information processing device that enables the user to send the request to the device without specifying a network is provided. can.

It is an example of the figure explaining the main use case assumed by the printing system of this embodiment. It is a block diagram of an example of a printing system. It is a hardware block diagram of an example of a mobile terminal. It is a hardware block diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus and an information medium. It is a functional block diagram of an example of a printing system. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of communication information. It is a sequence diagram of an example of a print process. It is a flowchart of an example of a connection possibility judgment process. It is a figure which shows the screen example which is displayed on the display device of a mobile terminal. It is a figure which shows the screen example which is displayed on the display device of a mobile terminal. It is a figure for demonstrating another example of communication information. This is an example of a flowchart for explaining the connection availability determination process in step S608 in the print process described with reference to FIG. 7. It is a functional block diagram of an example of a printing system (Example 2). This is a sequence of an example of printing processing (Example 2).

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

<Use case of the printing system of this embodiment>
First, the main use cases assumed by the printing system 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an example of a diagram illustrating a main use case assumed by the printing system 1 of the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 20 is connected to a network N1 corresponding to an in-house LAN or the like, and an access point 7 is connected to the network N1. Further, the image forming apparatus 20 can also communicate via the network N2 that communicates by P2P (Peer to Peer).

・ Use case 1
The use case 1 is a case in which the visitor 9 wirelessly communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 for printing or the like using his / her mobile terminal 10. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (a).
(1) First, the visitor 9 brings the mobile terminal 10 close to the short-range wireless communication device 301 included in the image forming device 20. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 acquires the first communication information 1100 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 and the second communication information 1300 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2. ..
(2) Next, the mobile terminal 10 attempts communication using the first communication information 1100, but the mobile terminal 10 of the visitor 9 cannot connect to the in-house LAN (network N1) with the first communication information 1100.
(3) Next, since the mobile terminal 10 can communicate when trying to communicate using the second communication information 1300, it starts communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2.

Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 of the visitor 9 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 without going through the network N1 which is an in-house LAN.

・ Use case 2
The use case 2 is a case in which the employee 8 wirelessly communicates with an image forming apparatus 20 of another department or the like that is not normally used for printing or the like using his / her own mobile terminal 10. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 (b).
(1) First, the employee 8 brings the mobile terminal 10 close to the short-range wireless communication device 301 included in the image forming device 20. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 acquires the first communication information 1100 for communicating via the network N1 and the second communication information 1300 for communicating via the network N2.
(2) Next, the mobile terminal 10 attempts communication using the first communication information 1100, but the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 who has the authority to connect to the company's in-house LAN is used to connect to the access point 7. Wireless communication parameters are set. Therefore, it is possible to connect to the in-house LAN and communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 by using the first communication information 1100. The mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 starts communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1.

Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 which is an in-house LAN. Further, even if the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 cannot connect to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1, the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2. Even if the network N1 cannot be used for some reason, printing can be performed temporarily.

As described above, the printing system 1 of the present embodiment reduces the labor for the user to set the communication information and enables the user such as the visitor 9 and the employee 8 to automatically select an appropriate network. ..

<Terminology>
Employee: This is one of the specific examples of users of the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20, and has the authority to connect to the corporate LAN (the wireless communication parameters for connecting to the corporate LAN are set in the mobile terminal 10). You are a user. This user does not have to be called employee 8, and may be any name such as staff, employee, staff.
Visitor: This is one of the specific examples of the user of the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20, and is a user who does not have the authority to connect to the in-house LAN. All users other than employees are included in the visitor 9. The visitor 9 may also be called in any way.

<System configuration>
The system configuration of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an example of a printing system according to this embodiment. The printing system 1 of FIG. 2 has a mobile terminal 10 and one or more image forming devices 20. The mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 are configured to be connectable via a network N1 and a network N2 by wire or wirelessly. Since the mobile terminal 10 is an information processing device that can be carried by the user as described later, the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming device 20 are configured to be wirelessly connectable via the network N1 and the network N2. It is preferable to have. Being able to connect means having a function to connect, and whether or not it can actually be connected depends on the judgment described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Further, when the mobile terminal 10 is carried by the visitor 9, the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to the network N1 but is connected to the network N2 on demand. Further, the employee 8 has the authority to connect to the network N1 in advance. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 10 is carried by the employee 8, for example, the SSID and the password (encryption key) are set in the mobile terminal 10 as the above wireless communication parameters, so that the mobile terminal 10 can be connected to the network N1. .. Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 carried by the employee 8 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 if the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 is known.

In the following, as an example, the network N1 is a network such as an in-house LAN for connecting the mobile terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus 20 via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), while the network N2 is a Wi-Fi. It will be described as a network for directly connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 by P2P by Direct. However, the network N1 and the network N2 are not limited to these. For example, the network N1 may include a WAN or the Internet in addition to a network such as an in-house LAN, or may partially include a mobile phone network. Further, the network N2 may be a network for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via, for example, a wireless LAN ad hoc mode, a mobile phone network, infrared communication, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like. That is, any network such as an in-house LAN that does not enter the company may be used. Further, the network N2 may be an in-house LAN for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via a wireless LAN, for example, as long as it is appropriately set such as being isolated from the network N1 (for example, a network address). Is a network different from network N1).

Further, an information medium 30 is attached to the housing of the image forming apparatus 20, and the mobile terminal 10 and the information medium 30 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via short-range wireless communication.

The mobile terminal 10 is a portable information processing device such as a smartphone operated by a user. The mobile terminal 10 may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a game machine, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a digital camera, a wearable PC, a notebook PC, or the like. The mobile terminal 10 is equipped with an application that can request the image forming apparatus 20 to provide functions (for example, give a print instruction to print target data, scan a document, transmit a fax, copy, etc.). The mobile terminal 10 generates a print job, a scan job, a FAX transmission job, a copy job, and the like including print target data related to the print instruction, and transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 20.

Further, the mobile terminal 10 is provided with a short-range wireless communication device such as an NFC chip, as will be described later. The user holds a plurality of communication information including an IP address for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 by holding the mobile terminal 10 over an information medium 30 attached to a predetermined position of the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. To get. Then, the mobile terminal 10 can execute the print job in the image forming apparatus 20 and print the print target data by transmitting the print job generated based on the acquired communication information to the image forming apparatus 20. ..

The application may be software such as a browser, document creation software, or a viewer that communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 and requests the image forming apparatus 20 to execute a job.

The image forming apparatus 20 is a device such as a printer that receives a print job or the like from the mobile terminal 10 and prints print target data. The image forming apparatus 20 may be a multifunction device such as an MFP having a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, and a fax function in addition to the print function.

The image forming apparatus 20 includes, for example, a scanner device, a facsimile machine, an image projection device (projector), a back projection device, a HUD (Head Up Display) device, an electronic blackboard, an output device such as a digital signage, a speaker device, or the like. It may be an acoustic output device of. Therefore, in this embodiment, the case where the printing system 1 is used as an example of the information processing system will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, an image output system or an image forming using an image output device instead of the image forming device 20. An acoustic output system using a speaker device instead of the device 20 may be used. That is, in this embodiment, a mobile terminal 10 that generates various jobs, images, and data that can be converted into images, and a device that outputs various jobs, images, and data that can be converted into images received from the mobile terminal 10 ( In this embodiment, it can be applied to various systems using the image forming apparatus 20). Further, the mobile terminal 10 and the device may simply communicate wirelessly without outputting data.

The information medium 30 is a short-range wireless communication device such as an NFC chip attached at a predetermined position on the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the information medium 30 is an NFC tag or the like. The information medium 30 stores communication information including the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 to which the information medium 30 is attached. More specifically, the information medium 30 contains communication information for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 and communication information for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2. Is remembered. That is, the information medium 30 stores communication information according to the number of networks to which the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 can be connected.

The mobile terminal 10 can acquire these communication information stored in the information medium 30 via short-range wireless communication. Then, as described above, the mobile terminal 10 executes the print job in the image forming apparatus 20 by transmitting the print job to the image forming apparatus 20 based on the communication information acquired from the information medium 30. Can be done.

It is not limited to the information medium 30 such as the NFC tag that stores the communication information and transmits it to the mobile terminal 10. For example, if the image forming apparatus stores communication information, the communication information can be transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 by using another communication method such as Bluetooth or infrared that can directly communicate with the mobile terminal 10 without requiring an address or the like in advance. You may send it. In this case, a function (Bluetooth or infrared) corresponding to the mobile terminal 10 is required.

In the printing system 1 described above, the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 are configured to be connectable via two networks, a network N1 and a network N2, but are connectable networks. The number of may be any number of 1 or more (3 or more).

Further, the printing system 1 described above may be configured to include, for example, a printing server that stores print jobs transmitted from the mobile terminal 10. Further, the printing system 1 may have an arbitrary number of one or more mobile terminals 10.

<Hardware configuration>
≪Mobile terminal≫
The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment is realized by, for example, a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a mobile terminal according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 10 shown in FIG. 3 includes an input device 101, a display device 102, an external I / F 103, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 106, and a communication I / F 107. , SSD (Solid State Drive) 108, short-range wireless communication device 109, etc., each of which is connected to each other by bus B.

The input device 101 is, for example, a touch panel, and is used to input each operation signal to the mobile terminal 10. The input device 101 may be a keyboard, a mouse, or the like. The display device 102 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like, and displays a processing result by the mobile terminal 10.

The external I / F 103 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 103a and the like. A program that realizes the embodiment can be stored in the recording medium 103a. The mobile terminal 10 can read and / or write to the recording medium 103a via the external I / F 103.

The recording medium 103a is, for example, a recording medium such as an SD memory card. The recording medium 103a may be a recording medium such as a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a CD (Compact Disk), or a flexible disk.

The RAM 104 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data. The ROM 105 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) capable of holding programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 105 stores programs and data such as a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), an OS setting, and a network setting that are executed when the mobile terminal 10 is started.

The CPU 106 is an arithmetic unit that realizes control and functions of the entire mobile terminal 10 by reading programs and data from a storage device such as a ROM 105 or SSD 108 onto a RAM 104 and executing processing.

The communication I / F 107 is an interface for performing communication via the network N1 and the network N2. For example, the communication I / F 107 is an interface for connecting the mobile terminal 10 to an in-house LAN or the like via a wireless LAN. Further, the communication I / F 107 is an interface for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via Wi-Fi Direct. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 can perform data communication via the communication I / F 107. The communication I / F 107 may be an interface for connecting to a mobile phone network, the Internet, or the like.

The SSD 108 is a non-volatile storage device that stores the program 108a and data. The stored programs 108a and data include, for example, an OS (Operating System), which is basic software that controls the entire mobile terminal 10, and application software (hereinafter, simply referred to as an application) that provides various functions on the OS. The SSD 108 manages the stored programs and data by a predetermined file system and / or DB (database). The mobile terminal 10 may be provided with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like instead of the SSD 108 or in combination with the SSD 108.

The short-range wireless communication device 109 is, for example, an NFC chip or the like. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 can perform data communication via the short-range wireless communication device 109.

The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment can realize various processes as described later by the hardware configuration described above.

<< Image forming device and information medium >>
The image forming apparatus 20 and the information medium 30 according to this embodiment are realized by, for example, a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of the image forming apparatus and the information medium according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 4 includes a controller 201, an operation panel 202, an external I / F 203, a communication I / F 204, a printer 205, and the like. Further, a short-range wireless communication device 301 is attached to the outside (housing) of the image forming device 20 as a configuration for realizing the information medium 30.

The controller 201 has a CPU 211, a RAM 212, and a ROM 213, and an NVRAM 214 and an HDD 215. The ROM 213 stores various programs and data. The RAM 212 temporarily holds programs and data. NVRAM 214 stores, for example, setting information and the like. Further, the HDD 215 stores various programs 215a and data.

The CPU 211 realizes the control and functions of the entire image forming apparatus 20 by reading the program 215a, data, setting information, etc. from the ROM 213, NVRAM 214, HDD 215, etc. onto the RAM 212 and executing the processing.

The operation panel 202 includes an input unit for receiving input from the user and a display unit for displaying. The external I / F 203 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 203a and the like. As a result, the image forming apparatus 20 can read and / or write to the recording medium 203a via the external I / F 203. The recording medium 203a includes a flexible disk, a CD, a DVD, an SD memory card, a USB memory, and the like.

The communication I / F 204 is an interface for performing communication via the network N1 and the network N2. As a result, the image forming apparatus 20 can perform data communication via the communication I / F 204. The printer 205 is a printing device for printing and outputting data to be printed.

The short-range wireless communication device 301 is, for example, an NFC chip or the like. The information medium 30 is built in the non-volatile memory of the short-range wireless communication device 301. When the short-range wireless communication device 301 detects the approach of the short-range wireless communication device 109 of the mobile terminal 10, it communicates with the short-range wireless communication device 109 to read the information of the information medium 30 and outputs the information of the information medium 30 to the mobile terminal 10. Can be sent. The short-range wireless communication device 301 is configured outside the image forming apparatus 20, for example, an NFC chip is attached to a predetermined position on the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. In this case, it is preferable that the NFC chip is attached to the mobile terminal 10 at a position where short-range wireless communication is easy. The information in the information medium 30 can be rewritten by the user using a reader / writer or the like.

The short-range wireless communication device 301 is not configured outside the image forming device 20, but is configured inside the image forming device 20 within a range in which short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 10 is possible. You may. Further, the short-range wireless communication device 301 does not have to be integrated with the image forming device 20, and may be arranged on a guide plate or the like installed near the image forming device 20 or on a route leading to the image forming device 20. ..

The image forming apparatus 20 and the information medium 30 according to this embodiment can realize various processes as described later by the hardware configuration described above.

<Software configuration>
The printing system 1 according to this embodiment can be represented by, for example, a functional block as shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an example of the printing system according to this embodiment.

The mobile terminal 10 of the printing system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 12, a connection availability determination unit 13, a UI display unit 14, a communication unit 15, an information storage unit 16, and the like. Further, the communication unit 15 includes a first communication unit 151, a second communication unit 152, and the like. On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 20 of the printing system 1 has a printing function unit 21 and the like. The image forming apparatus 20 can accept processing requests from a plurality of networks N1 and N2.

The information acquisition unit 12 is realized by the CPU 106, the short-range wireless communication device 109, and the like, and acquires a plurality of communication information for communicating with the image forming device 20 from the information medium 30 via the short-range wireless communication.

The connection availability determination unit 13 is realized by the CPU 106 or the like, and based on the plurality of communication information acquired from the information medium 30, communicates via any of the plurality of networks connectable to the image forming apparatus 20. Select. Specifically, in this embodiment, it is selected whether to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 or the network N2 based on the plurality of communication information acquired from the information medium 30.

The UI display unit 14 is realized by a CPU 106, a display device 102, and the like, and generates and displays a UI (user interface) screen.

The communication unit 15 is realized by communication I / F 107 or the like, and communicates with the image forming apparatus 20. More specifically, the first communication unit 151 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 and the second communication unit 152 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 according to the selection result of the connection availability determination unit 13. Communicates with the forming device 20.

The information storage unit 16 is realized by the CPU 106, the ROM 105, the SSD 108, and the like, stores the communication information 1000 acquired by the information acquisition unit 12, and reads the stored information.

The print function unit 21 prints print target data included in a print job realized by a printer 205 or the like and requested to be executed by the mobile terminal 10. In addition to the print function unit 21, the image forming apparatus 20 includes a scanning function unit for generating image data (electronic data) from the scanned document, a copy function unit for duplicating the scanned document, and the scanned document or electronic machine. It may have a FAX function unit or the like that transmits data by FAX via a telephone line network or the like.

The information medium 30 is realized by the short-range wireless communication device 301, and stores communication information 1000 for communicating with the image forming device 20 to which the information medium 30 is attached. Further, the information medium 30 transmits the communication information 1000 stored in the information medium 30 to the mobile terminal 10 via short-range wireless communication in response to a request from the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10.

<Communication information 1000 stored in the information medium 30>
The communication information 1000 stored in the information medium 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The communication information 1000 stored in the information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 has the same configuration. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of communication information.

The communication information 1000 shown in FIG. 6 includes first communication information 1100 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, availability information 1200 indicating availability of communication via network N2, and network N2. It has a second communication information 1300 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the communication information 1000 has a plurality of communication information such as the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300.

The first communication information 1100 is information necessary for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (for example, an in-house LAN connected via a wireless LAN). The first communication information 1100 includes information such as a first IP address which is an IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in the network N1 and SSL communication indicating whether or not SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) communication is used in the network N1. The first communication information 1100 does not include the SSID and password for connecting to the company LAN or the like from the access point 7. This is because, as described above, it is assumed that the employee 8 is connected to the network N1, and the SSID and password are set in advance in the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8. In other words, if the SSID and password of the in-house LAN or the like are set in the first communication information 1100, the visitor 9 or the like can also connect to the in-house LAN or the like. In this embodiment, using the premise that the SSID and password are set in advance in the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8, the first communication information 1100 stores the minimum information (having an IP address). Therefore, it is possible to connect only the employee 8 to the in-house LAN without connecting the visitor 9 to the in-house LAN or the like. That is, only the mobile terminal 10 currently connected to the in-house LAN can be connected to the image forming apparatus 20 by using the first communication information 1100.

The availability information 1200 is information indicating whether or not to perform communication via the network N2 when the connection availability determination unit 13 determines that the communication between the image forming apparatus 20 and the network N1 cannot be performed. .. For example, in the communication information 1000 of FIG. 6, the availability information 1200 is set to "Yes". Therefore, in this case, as will be described in detail later, when the connection availability determination unit 13 determines that the image forming apparatus 20 cannot communicate with the network N1, the mobile terminal 10 connects the image forming apparatus 20 with the network. Performs a process of attempting communication via N2. On the other hand, when the availability information 1200 is set to "No", the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2.

The availability information 1200 is used, for example, for billing control. The usage fee of the image forming apparatus 20 may be charged on a pay-as-you-go basis such as the number of printed sheets. For example, when the image forming apparatus 20 is arranged in the company A, the usage fee is charged to the company A regardless of whether the employee 8 of the company A prints or the visitor 9 to the company A prints. Will be printed. Therefore, in the image forming apparatus 20 installed in a place where there are many visitors 9, the company A may not want to allow the printing by the visitors 9 at all.

On the other hand, for example, in a city hall or a library, it is necessary to respond to a request from a visitor 9 to print. Therefore, a coin mech is arranged together with the image forming apparatus 20 in a highly public place, and printing by the visitor 9 is permitted within the range of the amount of money input by the user.

Therefore, the image forming apparatus 20 arranged at a chargeable arrangement place or an arrangement place where the number of prints by the visitor 9 is small may allow the visitor 9 to print. In this way, the availability information 1200 can control the availability itself of the image forming apparatus 20 by the visitor 9.

The availability information may also be set for the first communication information 1100. For example, when the network N1 has a security inconvenience, it is possible to prevent the employee 8 from communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1.

The second communication information 1300 is information necessary for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 (for example, P2P by Wi-Fi Direct). The second communication information 1300 includes a second IP address which is an IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in the network N2, an SSID (Service Set Identifier) for identifying the network N2, an encryption method in the network N2, a password, and the network N2. It includes information such as an image forming device 20HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) port number or an HTTPS (HTTP over SSL / TLS) port number when communicating via the network. When the image forming apparatus 20 does not communicate by encrypting the data, the communication itself is possible without a password.

The information included in the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 is an example, and various information necessary for performing communication via the network N1 and the network N2, respectively, may be included. Further, in the communication information 1000 shown above, the first IP address and the second IP address are different, but these may be the same IP address.

For example, when the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 are further configured to be connectable via the network N3, the communication information 1000 indicates the availability of communication via the network N3. It may have the information and the third communication information for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N3.

<Details of processing>
Next, the details of the processing of the printing system 1 will be described.

<< Printing process >>
First, the flow of the printing process of the printing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence of an example of printing processing according to this embodiment.

In step S601, the user selects desired print target data from the application mounted on the mobile terminal 10 via the UI display unit 14, and gives a print instruction. As a result, a print job including the print target data selected by the user is generated.

In step S602, when the UI display unit 14 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the print job execution notification, the UI display unit 14 requests the information acquisition unit 12 to acquire the communication information 1000. Then, the mobile terminal 10 is in a standby state until it detects the start of short-range wireless communication by the short-range wireless communication device 109. During this period, the display device 102 may display a screen prompting the user to hold the mobile terminal 10 over the position of the NFC chip (information medium 30) of the image forming device 20.

In step S603, when the user holds the mobile terminal 10 over the information medium 30, the information acquisition unit 12 detects the start of short-range wireless communication with the information medium 30 and acquires the communication information 1000 from the information medium 30.

In step S604, the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10 stores the communication information 1000 acquired from the information medium 30 in the information storage unit 16.

In step S605, the information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 makes a connection availability determination unit for determining which communication information among the plurality of communication information included in the communication information 1000 is used to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20. It is transmitted to 13.

In step S606, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 performs the connection availability determination process. In this embodiment, in the connection availability determination process, the connection availability determination unit 13 generates one of the following results. The details of this connection availability determination process will be described later.
(1) The mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via either the network N1 or the network N2 (the selection result cannot communicate).
(2) The mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (the selection result is communicated by the first communication unit).
(3) The mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 (the selection result is communicated by the second communication unit).

In the subsequent processing, when the selection result by the connection availability determination unit 13 is the above (1), the UI display unit 14 performs the processing of step S608. When the selection result by the connection availability determination unit 13 is the above (2), the communication unit 15 performs the process of step S610. When the selection result by the connection availability determination unit 13 is the above (3), the communication unit 15 performs the process of step S613.

In step S607, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 makes a UI display request for a screen (communication impossible screen of FIG. 10B) indicating that the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20. It is transmitted to the display unit 14.

In step S608, when the UI display unit 14 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the display request of the communication impossible screen, the notification impossible screen is generated and displayed on the display device 102. As a result, the user is notified that the mobile terminal 10 operated by the user cannot communicate with the desired image forming apparatus 20.

In step S609, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits a print job execution request to the first communication unit 151.

In step S610, when the first communication unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the execution request of the print job, the first communication unit 151 transmits the execution request of the print job to the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (for example, an in-house LAN connected via a wireless LAN).

In step S611, when the print function unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives the print job from the mobile terminal 10, the print function unit 21 executes the print job and prints the print target data. As a result, the user can print the desired print target data on the image forming apparatus 20.

In step S612, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits a print job execution request to the second communication unit 152.

In step S613, when the second communication unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the execution request of the print job, the second communication unit 152 transmits the execution request of the print job to the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 (for example, P2P by Wi-Fi Direct).

In step S614, when the print function unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives the print job from the mobile terminal 10, the print function unit 21 executes the print job and prints the print target data. As a result, the user can print the desired print target data on the image forming apparatus 20.

As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 acquires a plurality of communication information for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 from the information medium 30. Then, the mobile terminal 10 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 and print based on the communication information of any one of the plurality of communication information. That is, the mobile terminal 10 prints by selecting one of a plurality of networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 and transmitting a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the selected network. It can be performed.

<< Connection availability judgment processing >>
Next, the connection availability determination process in step S608 in the printing process described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. The connection availability determination process is a process of selecting whether to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 based on the first communication information 1100 or the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000 acquired by the information acquisition unit 12. .. In other words, it is a process of selecting which network of the plurality of networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 is used for communication.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of the connection availability determination process according to the present embodiment. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing screen examples of applications displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. Hereinafter, the processing flow of FIG. 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.

First, the user selects print target data from a list of print target data displayed on the display device 102 by the application. Then, as shown in FIG. 9A, the print condition screen 901 is displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. On the print condition screen 901, the print target data 902, the icon 903 of the image forming apparatus 20, the number of copies 904, the color / black and white 905, and the paper size 906 are displayed. Initial setting values preset in the application are displayed on the number of copies 904, color / black and white 905, and paper size 906, and the last setting value set by the user is retained. Therefore, when the user uses the mobile terminal 10 to print on the image forming apparatus 20, the user can print with the set value (printing condition) desired by himself / herself with the minimum change of the setting.

The usage advice 907 has, for example, an icon 907a and a message 907b "touch the MFP to start printing", and the user can use the mobile terminal 10 of the short-range wireless communication device 301 (NFC chip) of the image forming device 20. Encourage them to hold it over the position. By holding it up, the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10 acquires the communication information 1000 from the information medium 30. The process of FIG. 8 starts when the communication information 1000 is acquired.

In step S701 of FIG. 8, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 to the first communication unit 151 based on the first communication information 1100 included in the communication information 1000. Request. Then, the first communication unit 151 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. Here, the mobile terminal 10 gives priority to the currently connected network and attempts to connect to the IP address indicated in the communication information 1100. Even if the user is an employee and the mobile terminal holds the information to connect to the company LAN, if the user is currently connected to another network (for example, LTE, 3G, public wireless LAN, etc.), the acquired communication Since the information 1100 does not contain information such as SSID that can identify the network, the mobile terminal 10 cannot determine which network the connection may be switched to. Therefore, communication is attempted via another network without switching to the corporate LAN. The first communication unit 151 attempts to communicate with the device (here, the image forming apparatus 20) indicated by the first IP address included in the first communication information 1100 via the currently connected network. Therefore, in the mobile terminal 10 connected to 3G or LTE, communication with the device indicated by the first IP address may be attempted via the carrier base station.

While the first communication unit 151 is trying to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20, the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 displays the connecting screen 911 shown in FIG. 9B. On the connecting screen 911, the fact that the connection is being established is displayed by the icon 912 and the characters 913. In addition, a cancel button 914 for the user to cancel the connection or print job is displayed.

Returning to FIG. 8, in step S702, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not communication with the image forming apparatus 20 could be performed via the network N1 based on the communication result by the first communication unit 151. If communication is possible with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1, the process proceeds to step S703, while if communication is not possible, the process proceeds to step S704.

Here, the connection availability determination unit 13 determines whether or not communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was possible using the first communication information 1100 as follows. For convenience of explanation, the explanation will be divided into use cases.

・ Use case 1
Even if the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network or is connected to any network, it attempts to connect to the image forming apparatus 20 and performs any of the following processes (1) to (3). ..
(1) The first communication unit 151 attempts to acquire MIB (Management Information Base) information of the image forming apparatus 20 via the currently connected network. Then, when the MIB information can be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is possible, while when the MIB information cannot be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is not possible. The MIB information may be a standard MIB or an extended MIB. If the standard MIB can be acquired, it is known that data can be communicated with at least some device (including the possibility that the image forming device 20 is used), and if the extended MIB can be acquired, the image forming device 20 assumed by the application of the mobile terminal 10 (including the possibility that the image forming device 20 is used). It can be seen that the application is capable of communicating data with an image forming apparatus 20 of a specific manufacturer or model). Further, even when the MIB information can be acquired, the device information included in the acquired MIB information is the device information of the image forming apparatus 20 to be communicated (this is, for example, the communication acquired from the information medium 30). If it is different from (included in information 1000), it may be determined that communication could not be performed. As a result, the connection availability determination unit 13 can reliably determine that the communication information 1000 can be communicated with the image forming apparatus 20 having the information medium 30 that has read the communication information 1000. Here, the device information is information that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus, such as the manufacturing unique number (serial number) of the image forming apparatus 20 and the MAC (Media Access Control) address.
(2) The first communication unit 151 attempts to acquire device information by using WebAPI (Web Application Programming Interface) provided by the image forming apparatus 20 via the currently connected network. WebAPI refers to an agreement (method of requesting processing, method of designating data, etc.) when device A and device B perform processing via a network. WebAPI is stored in advance in the information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10. Then, when the device information can be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 has been possible. On the other hand, if the device information cannot be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 could not be performed. That is, if WebAPI is not unique to the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 20, it can be seen that data can be communicated with at least some device (including the possibility of being the image forming apparatus 20). When WebAPI is unique to the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 20, it can be seen that it is possible to communicate data with the image forming apparatus 20 assumed by the application of the mobile terminal 10 by being able to acquire the device information. Further, even if the device information can be acquired, if the acquired device information is different from the device information of the desired image forming apparatus 20, it may be determined that the communication could not be performed. As a result, the connection availability determination unit 13 can reliably determine that the communication information 1000 can be communicated with the image forming apparatus 20 having the information medium 30 that has read the communication information 1000.
(3) The first communication unit 151 attempts to acquire the MAC address of the image forming apparatus 20 by ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) via the currently connected network. Then, when the MAC address can be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 has been possible. On the other hand, if the MAC address cannot be acquired, it is determined that the communication with the image forming apparatus 20 could not be performed. If the MAC address can be obtained, there is a device with an IP address (including the possibility that it is an image forming device 20) stored in the information medium 30, and data can be communicated with the image forming device 20 having the information medium 30. Can be identified with high accuracy. Further, even if the MAC address can be acquired, if the acquired MAC address is different from the MAC address of the image forming apparatus 20 (assumed to be acquired from the information medium 30), it is determined that communication could not be performed. You may. As a result, the connection availability determination unit 13 can reliably determine that communication has been possible with the image forming apparatus 20 in which the information medium 30 is arranged.

If there is a communication error when performing any of the processes (1) to (3), the retry may be performed, and if it is determined by any of the judgments (1) to (3) that communication is not possible, the communication may be retried. It may be determined that communication cannot be performed with one attempt.

By performing any of the processes (1) to (3), the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, or the mobile terminal 10 is connected to another wireless LAN (public wireless LAN, etc.). It can be detected that it is connected to LTE or 3G. As a result, it can be determined that the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100.

Further, when the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, the transmission terminal 10 detects that it is not connected to the wireless LAN via the OS or the like, or is connected to any network other than this. It may be determined that the first communication information 1100 cannot be used to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 by detecting the absence. The same determination can be made when it is detected that the mobile terminal 10 is connected to LTE or 3G.

Further, when the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, it can be determined that the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate using the first communication information 1100 because it is not currently connected to the in-house LAN. Therefore, (1) It can be determined that the first communication information 1100 cannot be used to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 without performing (3).

・ Use case 2
First, if the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 is connected to the in-house LAN, it is considered that the first communication information 1100 can be used to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 in many cases.

On the other hand, even if the employee is not connected to the in-house LAN as described above, he / she cannot connect to the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. Further, when communication is attempted via a network different from the in-house LAN such as LTE or 3G that has been connected, the following situations may occur.
(i) There is some device (the image forming apparatus 20 may or may not be) at the IP address indicated by the first communication information of the network to which the network was accidentally connected. Therefore, although it is possible to connect to the device itself, it is meaningless to request processing because it is not connected to the image forming apparatus 20 to be connected.
(ii) There is no device at the IP address indicated by the first communication information 1100 in the network connected by chance.

Therefore, in order to confirm that the image forming apparatus 20 is surely communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 instead of the state of the above (i) and (ii), any of the above processes (1) to (3) is performed. Thereby, it is possible to determine whether or not the connected device is the image forming apparatus 20 capable of requesting processing (whether or not it is connected to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1).

In use case 2, even when the mobile terminal 10 is connected to the in-house LAN (network N1), the packet transmitted by the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 may not reach the image forming apparatus 20. In such a situation, the power of the router of the route from the nearest access point 7 of the mobile terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus 20 is turned off, or the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 is changed. It is conceivable that the image is not reflected in the medium 30.

In these cases, the connection availability determination unit 13 detects a timeout or a communication error (for example, 400 status codes are returned in HTTP) when any of the processes (1) to (3) is performed. , It is determined that the first communication information 1100 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

When the image forming apparatus 20 can be communicated with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 in step S703, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 forms an image via the network N1 based on the first communication information 1100 included in the communication information 1000. It is determined that communication with the device 20 is performed.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10A, the transmission completion screen 921 is displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. The transmission completion screen 921 is a screen indicating that the transmission of the print job from the mobile terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus 20 is completed. The transmission completion screen 921 displays a message 922 "transmission completed" and an icon 923 indicating that the transmission is completed. After the transmission completion screen 921 is displayed for a certain period of time, it is automatically erased and the print condition screen 901 of FIG. 9A is displayed. The print condition screen 901 of FIG. 9A may be displayed by the user pressing (touching) the icon 923.

Returning to FIG. 8, in step S704, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 refers to the availability information 1200 included in the communication information 1000 and determines whether or not the network N2 can be used. If the network N2 can be used, the process proceeds to step S705, and if the network N2 cannot be used, the process proceeds to step S708.

Thereby, for example, even if the network N2 can connect the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 by P2P such as Wi-Fi Direct, it can be determined whether or not the connection by P2P is permitted. This is because, in addition to the reasons such as the above-mentioned billing, in general, the connection by P2P tends to have lower security and the like than the connection via the in-house LAN using the wireless LAN. That is, when the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 cannot connect to the network N1, the employee 8 is prevented from connecting by P2P even if it is temporary. In this way, the security can be improved by the determination in step S704.

In step S705, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 requests the second communication unit 152 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000. Then, the second communication unit 152 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300. That is, the second communication unit 152 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 indicated by the second IP address included in the second communication information 1300.

In step S706, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not communication with the image forming apparatus 20 could be performed via the network N2 based on the communication result by the second communication unit 152. If communication is possible with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2, the process proceeds to step S707, while if communication is not possible, the process proceeds to step S708. Even during the determination in step S706, the connecting screen of FIG. 9B is continuously displayed.

Here, the connection availability determination unit 13 determines whether or not communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was possible using the second communication information 1300 as follows. In the determination in step S706, both the use cases 1 and 2 are similarly determined.

That is, it is considered that the mobile terminal 10 of the visitor 9 and the mobile terminal 10 of the employee 8 can send and receive packets to and from the image forming apparatus 20 using the second communication information 1300. Therefore, for example, the determination can be made according to the determination criteria (1) to (3) in step S702.

Although it is rare, the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 because the power is not supplied to the communication I / F 204 of the image forming apparatus 20 or the communication I / F 204 causes a communication failure. It is possible that packets cannot be sent or received. In this case, the connection availability determination unit 13 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 by the first communication information 1100 by detecting no response from the image forming apparatus 20, a timeout, or a communication error. Judge that it cannot be done.

When the image forming apparatus 20 can be communicated with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 in step S707, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 forms an image via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000. It is determined that communication with the device 20 is performed.

In this case, the transmission completion screen 921 of FIG. 10A is displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. That is, since the same screen is displayed regardless of whether the print job is transmitted via the network N1 or the network N2, the user does not need to be aware of the difference in the network. The mobile terminal 10 may display on the display device 102 whether the print job is transmitted via the network N1 or the network N2. As a result, the user as the employee 8 can confirm whether or not the company LAN with high security can be used. In addition, the user as the visitor 9 can grasp that his / her print job has been transmitted via the P2P network.

Returning to FIG. 8, in step S708, when neither the network N1 nor the network N2 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 may communicate with the image forming apparatus 20. Judge that it cannot be done.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 10B, the communication impossible screen 931 is displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. On the communication disabled screen 931, the message "Cannot connect to the device" 932 and the OK button 933 are displayed. When the user presses (touches) the OK button 933, the print condition screen 901 of FIG. 9A is displayed on the display device 102.

As described in the process of FIG. 8, in the printing system 1 of the present embodiment, the user sets the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 for the image forming apparatus 20 connected to a plurality of networks. While reducing the effort, each user can automatically select the appropriate network.

<< About another form of communication information >>
In step S701 described above, the connection availability determination unit 13 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100, and attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the second communication information 1300 in step S705. rice field. That is, the order of the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 to be tried for communication is the order of the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 recorded in the communication information 1000 of FIG. 6 (for example, the order of addresses). Was fixed by.

However, the order in which the connection availability determination unit 13 attempts communication is not limited to this. That is, in step S701, communication using the second communication information 1300 may be attempted, and in step S705, communication using the first communication information 1100 may be attempted.

Further, which of the plurality of networks is to be attempted to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 may be determined according to a predetermined priority.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of communication information. In FIG. 11, among the plurality of networks, the first communication information 1100 of the network N1 has a priority 1, the second communication information 1300 of the network N2 has a priority 3, and the third communication information 1500 of the network N3 has a priority 2. .. When the priority of each network (each communication information) is registered in the communication information 1000 in this way, the connection availability determination unit 13 uses the first communication information 1100 (network N1), the third communication information 1500 (network N3), and the like. Communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is attempted in the order of the second communication information 1300 (network N2).

FIG. 12 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the connection availability determination process in step S608 of FIG. 7 when the communication information 1000 of FIG. 11 is used.

In step S801, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 reads out all the priorities of the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500 included in the communication information 1000, and the control priority 1 is in descending order of priority. ~ N is given. This is to cope with the case where the priority of the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information included in the communication information 1000 does not start from 1 or is not a serial number. By the process of step S801, the control priorities 1 to N of the serial number are given to the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information. When two or more of the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information are given the same priority, the control priority is given in the order of storage (address order).

In step S802, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 sets the control variable n to "1". That is, the control variable n is initialized.

In step S803, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not there is communication information of control priority n (here, any of the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information). If there is communication information of control priority n, the process proceeds to step S804, and if there is no communication information of control priority n, the process proceeds to step S809. In step S809, communication is attempted using the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500, but communication is not possible, so it is determined that communication is not possible.

In step S804, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 refers to the availability information 1200 and 1400 of the control priority n, and the communication information of the control priority n (here, the first communication information 1100 and the second). It is determined whether or not the communication information 1300 or the third communication information 1500) can be used. If there is no availability information such as the first communication information 1100, it is determined that the information is available. Alternatively, the communication information 1000 may be configured so that the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500 include availability information. If the communication information of the control priority n is available, the process proceeds to step S805, and if the communication information of the control priority n is not available, the process proceeds to step S808.

In step S805, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 attempts communication using the communication information of the control priority n.

In step S806, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not communication using the communication information of the control priority n has been possible. The method of determining whether or not communication is possible differs depending on the use cases 1 and 2, but whether or not the connection to the access point 7 is possible, and if possible, steps S702 and S706 in FIG. The judgment may be made based on the judgment methods of (1) to (3). If communication is possible, the process proceeds to step S807, and if communication is not possible, the process proceeds to step S808.

In step S807, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines that the communication unit 15 corresponding to the communication information of the control priority n communicates.

In step S808, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 increases the control variable n by one. After that, the processes after step S803 are repeated.

In step S809, since the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500 that tried to communicate cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20. Judge that it cannot be done.

By registering the priority in the communication information 1000 in this way, it is possible to make the user communicate using the communication information that should be used preferentially.

When controlling by such priority, it is preferable that the priority of the communication information for connecting to the in-house LAN is higher than that of all the communication information for connecting to the P2P network. As a result, the employee 8 can be preferentially connected to the in-house LAN, and the visitor 9 can also be connected to the P2P network. However, even if the priority of the communication information for connecting to the P2P network is higher than the communication information for connecting to the in-house LAN, both the employee 8 and the visitor 9 must communicate via the P2P network. Is possible.

Further, such a priority may be determined according to, for example, the communication band of each network.

<< Priority control of connection attempts based on IP address >>
Further, based on the IP address of the mobile terminal 10 and the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 included in the communication information 1000, which network among the plurality of networks is attempted to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 is determined. You may decide. For example, the IP address of the mobile terminal 10 is "192.160.0.3", the first IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in the network N1 is "192.168.20.1", and the first IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in the network N2 is "192.168.20.1". 2 It is assumed that the IP address is "192.160.0.4". In this case, it may be decided to try the communication via the network N2 having the same sub-network address unit "192.160.0.0" and then try the communication via the network N1 (in this case, the network). It is preferable that N2 is a network for employees.)

By doing so, when communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2, the communication is performed within the same subnet, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in network traffic.

<Summary>
As described above, in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 acquires a plurality of communication information for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 from the information medium 30. Then, the mobile terminal 10 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 and print based on the communication information of any one of the plurality of communication information. That is, the mobile terminal 10 prints by selecting one of a plurality of networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 and transmitting a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the selected network. It can be performed. Therefore, even if the user cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via one of the plurality of networks, the user can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the other network. It is not necessary to set the communication information in the own mobile terminal 10 again. This reduces the user and management effort of the printing system 1.

The information acquisition unit 12 is an example of acquisition means. The connection availability determination unit 13 is an example of the selection means. The communication unit 15 is an example of communication means.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment disclosed specifically, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of claims.

Although it has been described in the first embodiment that the image forming apparatus 20 may be an image projection apparatus (projector) or the like, the case where the image forming apparatus 20 is an image projection apparatus (projector) will be described in this embodiment.

In the present specification, the components having the same reference numerals perform the same functions. Therefore, the description of the components once described may be omitted or only the differences may be described.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of an example of the printing system 1 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 13, the configuration of the mobile terminal 10 is the same as that in FIG. On the other hand, in FIG. 13, the mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image projection device 22 instead of the image forming device 20. An information medium 30 is arranged in the image projection device 22, and the image projection device 22 has an image projection unit 23. The information medium 30 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

The image projection device 22 modulates the image data by a DLP (Digital Right Processing) method or a liquid crystal method, and projects the image onto a screen, a wall, or the like. The image data is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 via the network N1 or N2. The image projection unit 23 generates a projected image based on a DLP type or liquid crystal type projection engine and image data.

FIG. 14 is a sequence of an example of printing processing according to this embodiment. Since the process of FIG. 14 is different from that of FIG. 7 of the first embodiment in steps S609 to S614, the process of steps S609 to S614 will be described.

In step S609, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits an image projection request to the first communication unit 151.

In step S610, when the first communication unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the request for image projection, the first communication unit 151 transmits the request for image projection to the image projection device 22. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits image data to the image projection device 22 via the network N1 (for example, an in-house LAN connected via a wireless LAN). This image data is generated from, for example, an image currently displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 or an image selected by the user.

In step S611, the image projection unit 23 of the image projection device 22 projects this image when it receives a request for image projection from the mobile terminal 10. This allows the user to project the desired image on the image projection device 22.

In step S612, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits a request for image projection to the second communication unit 152.

In step S613, when the second communication unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10 receives the request for image projection, the second communication unit 152 transmits the request for image projection to the image projection device 22. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits image data to the image projection device 22 via the network N2 (for example, P2P by Wi-Fi Direct).

In step S614, when the image projection unit 23 of the image projection device 22 receives the request for image projection from the mobile terminal 10, the image projection unit 23 projects this image. This allows the user to project the desired image on the image projection device 22.

When the mobile terminal 10 causes the image forming apparatus 20 to print, if the mobile terminal 10 transmits a print job to the image forming apparatus 20, the mobile terminal 10 may wait until the printing is completed. On the other hand, when the mobile terminal 10 projects an image on the image projection device 22, the mobile terminal 10 needs to project the image a plurality of times.

For example, the still image displayed on the display device 102 by the mobile terminal 10 is updated (including switching of images, enlargement / reduction, change of display range, etc.), and the user reselects the image to be projected. If so, send the image data. When the mobile terminal 10 displays a moving image on the display device 102, the image is periodically captured, image data is created, and the image data is transmitted. The format of the image data may be any format such as JPEG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, etc. as long as the image projection device 22 supports it.

Further, the mobile terminal 10 may transmit the file including the image as it is. For example, a PDF file, an MPEG file, etc. can be transmitted. In this case, the image projection device 22 opens the file, converts it into an image, and then projects it.

As described above, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the printing system of the present embodiment can communicate with an appropriate network that wirelessly communicates with the mobile terminal 10 and transmit necessary data such as image data.

1 Printing system 10 Mobile terminal 12 Information acquisition unit 13 Connection availability judgment unit 14 UI display unit 15 Communication unit 151 1st communication unit 152 2nd communication unit 16 Information storage unit 20 Image forming device 21 Print function unit 30 Information medium

Japanese Patent No. 5121212

In order to achieve the above object, an embodiment of the present invention relates to a device capable of communicating via a first network and a second network different from the first network. An information processing device that requests a predetermined process via any one of the networks, the first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network, and the second communication information. The information processing apparatus is connected by using the acquisition means for acquiring the second communication information for connecting to the device via the network of the above and the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means. An attempt is made to acquire information from the device via a network, and it is determined whether or not the information has been received, and if the information is received, whether or not the device is a specific device based on the information. When the information is received by the determination means and the determination means, and it is determined that the device is the specific device, the device is determined to be the specific device, based on the first communication information, via the first network. When the predetermined processing is requested to the device and it is not determined that the information has been received, the predetermined processing is performed on the device via the second network based on the second communication information. If it is determined that the information has been received and the device is not determined to be the specific device, the device is determined to receive the information via the second network based on the second communication information. Provided is an information processing apparatus having the requesting means for requesting the predetermined processing.
that's all

Claims (10)

An information processing device capable of communicating with a target output device by a plurality of communications including short-range wireless communication and a first communication different from the short-range wireless communication.
Data selection means that accepts the selection of data to be output, and
When the data to be output is selected by the data selection means, the information processing device is brought close to the output device to be output, so that communication information for connecting to the output device to be output can be obtained. Acquisition means acquired via range wireless communication,
Based on the communication information acquired by the acquisition means, an attempt is made to connect to the target output device via the first communication to which the information processing device is connected, and from the device that has attempted the connection. Based on the acquired information, a means for determining whether or not the device is a specific output device, and a means for determining whether or not the device can be connected,
When the connection availability determination means determines that the device is a specific output device based on the information acquired from the device that attempted the connection, the device that attempted the connection is requested to output the data to be output. An information processing device having a requesting means to be used. A display control means for controlling the display of a screen including the fact that a request for output of the data to be output is started by short-range wireless communication in response to acceptance of selection of the data to be output by the data selection means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising. A claim further comprising a second display control means for controlling to display that the information processing device close to the output device cannot be connected to the output device when the information processing device cannot be connected to the output device. Item 1. The information processing apparatus according to item 1. Further, it has a setting receiving means for receiving an input of an output setting of the data to be output.
The requesting means
The information processing device is brought close to the output device in a state where the data to be output is selected by the data selection means and the input of the setting is received by the setting reception means, whereby the short-range wireless communication is performed. It connects to the device that tried the connection based on the communication information received via the device, and outputs the data to be output according to the setting to the device that tried the connection via the first communication. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the request is started. The screen is characterized in that it includes a display for accepting an output setting of the data to be output, and the fact that the output of the data to be output is started by bringing the information processing apparatus close to the output device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The communication information is via a first communication information for connecting to the output device via the first communication and a second communication different from both the short-range wireless communication and the first communication. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a second communication information for connecting to the output device. The connection possibility determination means is
When it is not determined that the device is a specific output device based on the information acquired from the device that tried to connect via the first communication by the connection availability determination means, the second communication information based on the second communication information. Further has a connection means to connect via communication of
The requesting means
It is connected by the output device determined to be a specific output device or the connection means based on the information acquired from the device attempting the connection via the first communication by the connection availability determination means. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising initiating an output request to the output device. An output device and a program mounted on an information processing device capable of communicating with the output device by a plurality of communications including short-range wireless communication and a first communication different from the short-range wireless communication. It is a system that has
The output device is
By bringing the information processing device close to the output device, communication information can be transmitted to the information processing device via the short-range wireless communication.
The program uses the information processing device.
Data selection means that accepts the selection of data to be output, and
When the information processing device is brought close to the output device in a state where the data to be output is selected by the data selection means, communication information for connecting to the output device is transmitted via short-range wireless communication. The acquisition method to acquire and
Based on the communication information acquired by the acquisition means, an attempt is made to connect to the output device via the first communication to which the information processing apparatus is connected, and information acquired from the device that tried to connect. A means of determining whether or not the output device is a specific output device based on
When the connection availability determination means determines that the device is a specific output device based on the information acquired from the device that attempted the connection, the device that attempted the connection is requested to output the data to be output. To function as a means of request,
The output device further
A system characterized by outputting the data to be output received from the information processing apparatus. An information processing device capable of communicating with a target output device by a plurality of communications including short-range wireless communication and a first communication different from the short-range wireless communication.
Data selection means that accepts the selection of data to be output, and
When the data to be output is selected by the data selection means, the information processing device is brought close to the output device to be output, so that communication information for connecting to the output device to be output can be obtained. Acquisition means acquired via range wireless communication,
Based on the communication information acquired by the acquisition means, an attempt is made to connect to the target output device via the first communication to which the information processing device is connected, and from the device that has attempted the connection. Based on the acquired information, a means for determining whether or not the device is a specific output device, and a means for determining whether or not the device can be connected,
When the connection availability determination means determines that the device is a specific output device based on the information acquired from the device that attempted the connection, the device that attempted the connection is requested to output the data to be output. Request means to
A program to function as. An information processing method performed by an information processing device capable of communicating with a plurality of communications including a target output device and short-range wireless communication and a first communication different from the short-range wireless communication.
The step that the data selection means accepts the selection of the data to be output,
When the information processing device is brought close to the target output device in a state where the data to be output is selected by the data selection means, the acquisition means communicates with the target output device. Steps to acquire information via short-range wireless communication,
Based on the communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the connection availability determination means attempts to connect to the target output device via the first communication to which the information processing apparatus is connected, and the connection is made. Steps to determine if it is a specific output device based on the information obtained from the device that tried to connect,
When the requesting means is determined by the connection availability determining means to be a specific output device based on the information acquired from the device that attempted the connection, the device that attempted the connection receives the data to be output. An information processing method having a step of requesting output processing.

Images