JP2022049911A - Communication device and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

To individually designate resource data stored in an image file at a separated position.SOLUTION: A communication device designates resource data in an image file stored in the other communication device or in an image file that can be accessed by the other communication device, and the communication device comprises: generation means that generates a uniform resource identifier (URI) including information for designating the image file and information for designating the resource data in the image file; and transmission means that transmits the URI to the other device. The resource data includes the image data or management data accompanying the image data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a communication device and a control method thereof.

MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) is developing a standard for storing a plurality of images and the like in one file. This standard is called HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format).
Further, there is known a technique for designating access to data in one file by a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier: RFC3896) query string (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-108414

However, in standards such as HEIF, when using resource data such as image data stored in a HEIF file existing on the network and management data accompanying the image data, the resource data is individually specified and acquired. There is no way to do it. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the time space and byte offset on the timeline of the content are specified, it is necessary to know what kind of data exists in the file.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device capable of individually designating resource data stored in an image file of an external device.

In order to achieve the above object, the communication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a communication that specifies resource data in an image file stored in another communication device or in an image file accessible to the other communication device. An apparatus, which is a generation means for generating a URI (Uniform Resource Idea) including information for designating the image file and information for designating the resource data in the image file, and the URI to the other apparatus. The resource data includes a transmission means for transmitting, and the resource data includes the image data or management data accompanying the image data.

According to the communication device of the present invention, the resource data stored in the image file of the external device can be individually specified.

The system block diagram which concerns on Embodiments 1 and 2. The hardware block diagram of the client apparatus which concerns on Embodiments 1 and 2. The hardware configuration diagram of the server apparatus which concerns on Embodiments 1 and 2. The hardware block diagram of the printing apparatus which concerns on Embodiments 1 and 2. The sequence diagram between the apparatus constituting the system of Embodiment 1. FIG. URI generation flowchart of client device. URI analysis flowchart of the server device. Thumbnail image request processing flowchart of the server device. Request processing flowchart for the primary image of the server device. Server device management data request processing flowchart. The sequence diagram between the apparatus constituting the system of Embodiment 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the present invention, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the means for solving the present invention. The configuration of the embodiment may be appropriately modified or changed depending on the specifications of the system and the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions (use conditions, use environment, etc.). The technical scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of claims, not by the following individual embodiments.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of the system 10 of the present embodiment. The system 10 includes a network 100, a client device 200, a server device 300, and a printing device 400. In the system 10 of the present embodiment, the client device 200 designates a part of the image data from the plurality of image data stored in the HEIF file accessible to the server device 300 and causes the printing device 400 to print. Therefore, the system 10 is a printing system.
HEIF is an extended storage format based on the tools defined by the ISO Base Media File Format (ISOBMFF: ISO BaseMedia File Format). The file format of the HEIF file (image file) is the file format defined by ISO / IEC2608Part12. HEIF defines a normative structure that includes management data, and defines how to associate management data with image data and the structure of management data in a specific format. In the management data, image position information when displaying an image included in a file, information for designating an image to be displayed with first priority when a plurality of images are included, and the like are defined.

The client device 200, the server device 300, and the printing device 400 are connected to the network 100. The network 100 may be a public mobile communication such as LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), LTE (Long Term Evolution), or a combination thereof.
The client device 200 is a device that transmits a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) request to the server device 300. The client device 200 is, for example, a smartphone, a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, a digital camera, a smart watch, or the like. As will be described later, the client device 200 is a communication device that specifies resource data in an image file stored in a server device 300, which is another communication device, and causes the printing device 400 to print the image data in the image file. be.

The server device 300 is a device that receives a URI request from the client device 200. The server device 300 is, for example, a Web server, a file server, an application server, or a device in which a plurality of these are combined.
The printing device 400 is a printer, a copier, a multifunction device, or the like for printing image data. In the present embodiment, the client device 200 and the printing device 400 may be connected by wire or wirelessly. For example, the client device 200 and the printing device 400 are directly connected by USB (Universal Serial Bus), LAN, or the like. Alternatively, the client device 200 and the printing device 400 are connected by a wireless LAN.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the client device 200. The client device 200 includes a system bus 201, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 202, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 203, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 204. The client device 200 further includes a communication interface 205, an input unit 206, and a display unit 207. The interface is labeled I / F in FIG.
The system bus 201 connects the CPU 202, ROM 203, RAM 204, communication interface 205, input unit 206, and display unit 207, and serves as a transfer path for various data.

The CPU 202 comprehensively controls each hardware component (203 to 207) and controls the client device 200.
The ROM 203 stores a control program, an application, etc. executed by the CPU 202.
The RAM 204 functions as the main memory of the CPU 202, a work area, and the like, and temporarily stores programs and data.
The communication interface 205 is an interface for transmitting and receiving communication packets via the network 100. The communication interface 205 is, for example, a wireless LAN interface, a wired LAN interface, a public mobile communication interface, or the like. Since the client device 200 can communicate with the server device 300 via the network 100, it can be said that the client device 200 is a communication device.

The input unit 206 is an input interface for the hardware components (203 to 205, 207) in the client device 200 and the software operating inside the CPU 202. The input unit 206 includes, for example, a keyboard, a touch pad (touch panel), buttons, and the like.
The display unit 207 is a display that displays the information input by the input unit 206, the processing result, and the like. The display unit 207 has, for example, a liquid crystal display or an LED (light emitting diode). When the input unit 206 is a touch panel, the input unit 206 and the display unit 207 may be integrated. Further, the display unit 207 may include an audio output unit (speaker).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 300. The server device 300 has a system bus 301, a CPU 302, a ROM 303, a RAM 304, a communication interface 305, and a storage unit 306.
Since the system bus 301, CPU 302, ROM 303, RAM 304, and communication interface 305 are the same as those of the client device 200, the description thereof will be omitted. Since the server device 300 can communicate with the client device 200 via the network 100, it can be said that the server device 300 is a communication device.
The storage unit 306 stores an image file such as a HEIF file. That is, the storage unit 306 is a storage unit for storing the image file. The storage unit 306 includes, for example, a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). When viewed from the client device 200, the server device 300 is behind the network 100, so that the image file or image stored in the storage unit 306 can be expressed as an image file or image on the network. Even when the server device 300 is considered to be a cloud, the stored image file or image stored in the storage unit 306 can be expressed as an image file or image on the network.
In the present embodiment, the storage unit 306 is built in the server device 300, but the storage unit 306 may be externally attached to the server device 300 by wire or wirelessly. Alternatively, the storage unit 306 may be provided as a file server so that the server device 300 can access the file server (storage unit 306) via the network 100. That is, the image file may be an image file stored in the server device 300, which is another communication device as seen from the client device 200, or may be an image file accessible by the server device 300. The HEIF file may be collectively referred to as a "HEIF file existing on the network" or a "HEIF file of an external device" in terms of various aspects of the storage location (storage unit 306) as described above.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 400. The printing apparatus 400 includes a system bus 401, a CPU 402, a ROM 403, a RAM 405, a communication interface 406, and an output unit 407.
Since the system bus 401, CPU 402, ROM 403, RAM 405, and communication interface 406 are the same as those of the client device 200, the description thereof will be omitted.
The output unit 407 outputs a print medium (for example, paper) on which image data is printed. Since the printing device 400 prints out image data, it may be referred to as an image output device. The printing device 400 of the present embodiment may be replaced with an image output device such as a projector or a display. In this case, the output unit 407 becomes an image output unit.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation and processing of the client device 200, the server device 300, and the printing device 400 in the system 10. FIG. 5 shows a case where the client device 200 designates an image of the HEIF file stored in the storage unit 306 of the server device 300 and causes the printing device 400 to print the image. Since the client device 200 and the server device 300 can each process information related to images, they may be referred to as information processing devices.
The operation and processing described as the operation and processing executed by the client device 200 in FIG. 5 are performed by the CPU 202 executing the program stored in the ROM 203. Further, what is described as the operation and processing executed by the server device 300 is performed by the CPU 302 executing the program stored in the ROM 303. Similarly, what is described as the operation and processing executed by the printing apparatus 400 is performed by the CPU 402 executing the program stored in the ROM 403.

The sequence of FIG. 5 is started when the user of the client device 200 uses the input unit 206 to create a request for acquiring a file list.
First, the client device 200 sends a file list acquisition request to the server device 300 (501). The request 501 includes information that specifies a file storage location, a file storage folder, and the like on the network.
The server device 300 sends a response to the request 501 to the client device 200 (502). The response includes list information of files stored / stored in the file storage location or folder on the network specified in request 501.

The client device 200 displays the file list information included in the response 502 on the display unit 207 (503). In FIG. 5, the file list information is shown as the application screen 503. This application is software for printing an image file on the network 100 with the printing device 400, and the application screen 503 is a screen for selecting an image file to be printed. On the application screen 503, as file list information, aaa. gif, bbb. heic, ccc. Three image files of jpg are displayed. In this embodiment, the HEIF file bbb. Suppose you select heic. bbb. The user of the client device 200 operates the input unit 206 to select the heic. When a HEIF file is selected, three resource types (primary image, thumbnail image, management data) are displayed in the pull-down menu. In the present embodiment, the user of the client device 200 selects a thumbnail image from the pull-down menu. When you select a thumbnail image, another pull-down menu (pull-down menu for selecting the encoding format) is displayed on the right side of the pull-down menu. In the present embodiment, the user of the client device 200 selects JPEG as the coding format. Finally, the user of the client device 200 selects the OK button. When the OK button is selected, the application will generate a request URI504 according to the selected menu.

In the request URI504, up to "http://xxx/bbb.heic" is information for specifying up to the file name (image file name). The query string from the question mark "?" Following the file name specific information is the information that identifies the resource type and the coding conversion format. “Rsc = thmb” indicates that the resource type is a thumbnail image. The ampersand "&" that follows acts as a delimiter in the query string. "Cdc = jpg" specifies JPEG as the encoding format. “Opt = org” indicates the generation of a URI that acquires the original image corresponding to the thumbnail image. “Opt = org” is additional option information. In the present embodiment, when a thumbnail image is selected, an option to automatically instruct the generation of the original image acquisition URI is added, but the user may select whether to add the option. The method of generating the request URI will be described later. It can be said that the request URI 504 is a thumbnail image acquisition request URI.

The client device 200 uses the generated URI 504 to send a request to the server device 300 (505). When transmitting the request 505, the communication interface 206 of the client device 200 functions as a transmission unit for transmitting the URI 504 to the server device 300. Upon receiving the request 505, the server device 300 analyzes the URI and bbb. All thumbnail images included in heic are converted to JPEG images. The thumbnail image in the HEIF file is an image in which the resolution of the original image to be the master is lowered, and is an image item in which the ItemReferenceBox type "thmb" is set. The thumbnail image is linked to the corresponding original image item within the same ItemReferenceBox. Since the structure of the HEIF file is known and is outside the technical scope of the present invention, the description thereof will be omitted.
Reference numeral 506 indicates bbb. Three thumbnail images thmb1 to thmb3 are included in the heic file, and each of them shows how the image data encoded by HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec) is converted into a JPEG image.

Reference numeral 507 indicates a URI for acquiring original image data corresponding to the three thumbnail images thmb1 to thmb3. The server device 300 generates an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) file in which a thumbnail image converted into a JPEG image and a URI for acquiring the corresponding original image data are embedded. Then, the server device 300 transmits the generated HTML file as a response 508 to the client device 200. The server device 300 of the present embodiment generates an HTML file and sends it to the client device 200, but the server device 300 may send only a thumbnail image to the client device 200. Alternatively, the server device 300 may transmit a thumbnail image or the like to the client device 200 in a file format other than the HTML file (for example, an XML file). The client device 200 may be able to specify in what file format the thumbnail image or the like is to be transmitted. XML is an abbreviation for Extreme Markup Language.

Reference numeral 509 indicates an application screen displaying the HTML file received by the client device 200 by the response 508. On the application screen 509, three thumbnail images and a URI for acquiring original image data corresponding to each are displayed. The user of the client device 200 uses the application screen 509 to select an image to be printed as a thumbnail image. In the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the user of the client device 200 selects the thumbnail image thmb3 and selects the print button. When the print button is selected, the application generates a new URI (second URI) 510 based on the URI 507 for acquiring the original image data corresponding to the selected thumbnail image. In URI510, an image item is specified by "rsc = item3", and conversion to JPEG is instructed by "cdc = jpg". If the client device 200 does not know the image coding format that the printing device 400 can handle, the printing device 400 may generate conversion format information (for example, information that the printing device 400 converts to JPEG).

The client device 200 inputs the generated URI 510 to the printing device 400 (511). In addition to the URI 510, the client device 200 may input the number of copies to be printed, paper settings, print setting information, and the like into the printing device 400.
The printing device 400 sends the input URI 510 to the server device 300 as a request 512, and requests image data. Upon receiving the request 512, the server device 300 analyzes the URI. Reference numeral 513 indicates that, as a result of analyzing the URI, bbb. It shows how the image data encoded by HEVC whose item ID in heic is 3 is converted into a JPEG image (ID = 3 (JPG)). The image data converted into a JPEG image is transmitted from the server device 300 to the printing device 400 (514). The printing device 400 prints and outputs the received image data (515).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow in which the client device 200 generates a URI. In this flowchart, the client device 200 generates a URI based on the communication state with the connected server device 300, information selected by the user in the application, and the like. In the figure, S is an abbreviation for Step. Each process of FIG. 6 is performed by the CPU 202 executing the program stored in the ROM 203.
First, in S601, the client device 200 generates protocol information. The protocol information refers to a scheme character string for each protocol such as "http:", "https:", and "ftp:".
In S602, the client device 200 generates the server device position. The server device location is composed of a combination of the domain name, IP address, port number, etc. of the server device, and is, for example, "//www.sample.org:8080" or "//10.0.0. It is expressed by something like "1".

In S603, the client device 200 generates a file location / name. The file position / name is composed of a file name (image file name) following the drive name or path name at the server device position, and is expressed as, for example, "/ pictures / abc.heic". You may enter only a part of the file name and use wildcards, regular expressions, etc. to express multiple files that meet the conditions. For example, when the asterisk "*" is used as a wild card, "/ pictures / *. Heic" may be used to express all HEIF files under "/ pictures /".

In S604, the client device 200 determines whether or not the file is a HEIF file. If the file is other than the HEIF file (S604 is No), the flowchart process of FIG. 6 ends. If the determination result of S604 is No, the client device 200 may complete the URI generation up to the file name, or may continue the URI generation by processing for each different file type.
If the file is a HEIF file (S604 is Yes), the process proceeds to S605. At S605, the client device 200 starts generating a query string. The query string starts with the generation of the question mark "?".

Subsequently, in S606, the client device 200 generates resource designation information. The resource designation information is composed of an identifier indicating the type (resource type) of the image item stored in the HEIF file, the image item ID, the management data, and the like. For example, an identifier "rsc = thmb" represents a thumbnail image (resource type), an identifier "rsc = pitm" represents a primary image, and an identifier "rsc = meta" represents management data. As described above, the information that specifies the resource data may be an identifier indicating a thumbnail image, an identifier indicating a primary image, or an identifier indicating management data. For an image item ID that cannot be expressed only by the type name (resource type), enter a specific ID such as "rsc = item3". That is, the information that specifies the resource data may be the item identifier described in the management data.
The resource may be specified not only by the resource type and the specific ID, but also by the tag information included in the image, the property identifier defined by HEIF, and the like. For example, the information that specifies the resource data may be the property information described in the management data.

In S607, the client device 200 determines whether or not the conversion of the resource data is specified. If it is determined in S607 that there is a conversion designation, the process proceeds to S608. If it is determined in S607 that there is no conversion designation, the process proceeds to S609.
In S608, the client device 200 generates the conversion format information. When the resource data is image data, the conversion format information is composed of information indicating the coding format (for example, an identifier). For example, "cdc = jpeg" represents JPEG conversion, and "cdc = h264" is H. .. Represents 264 conversion. That is, the information that specifies the coding format (conversion format) may be an identifier indicating the coding of the image data.
Further, the conversion format information may specify the resolution after conversion of the image data. For example, "wdt = 1920, hgt = 1080" specifies conversion (resizing) of image data with a size of 1920 dots in the horizontal direction and 1080 dots in the vertical direction (predetermined size). That is, the information that specifies the conversion format may be an identifier indicating the size of the image data. Alternatively, the conversion format information may specify the enlargement / reduction ratio (ratio) instead of the resolution.
When the resource data is management data, the conversion format information is composed of information (for example, an identifier) indicating the file format of the management data. For example, "fmt = xml" represents the XML file conversion, and "fmt = json". Expresses JSON file conversion with. After S608, proceed to S609.

In S609, the client device 200 determines whether or not there is an additional option. If it is determined that there is an additional option, the process proceeds to S610. If it is determined that there are no additional options, the process ends.
At S610, the client device 200 generates additional option information. The additional option information is, for example, "opt = org", which means that when a thumbnail image is requested as resource data, the acquisition URI of the original image corresponding to the thumbnail image is also requested. After S610, it returns to S609.
Repeat S609 → S610 → S609 until there are no additional options. When there are no additional options, the determination result of S609 becomes No, and the client device 200 ends the process of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow in which the server device 300 analyzes the URI. Each process of FIG. 7 is performed by the CPU 302 executing the program stored in the ROM 303.
In S701, the server device 300 extracts the file location / name.
In S702, the server device 300 determines whether or not there is a file that matches the extracted file position / name. If it is determined that there is a file that matches the file position / name, the process proceeds to S703.
In S703, the server device 300 acquires the corresponding file. As described in S603 of FIG. 6, a plurality of files may be applicable, and in that case, the server device 300 acquires the plurality of files.

If it is determined in S702 that there is no file matching the file position / name, the server device 300 ends the process, and if it is HTTP, the status code 404 (Not Found) is transmitted to the client device 200.
In S704, the server device 300 determines whether or not the acquired file is a HEIF file. If it is not a HEIF file, the server device 300 ends the process. In this case, the server device 300 may send the acquired file as a response to the client device 200 as it is, or may execute another file type-specific process. If the acquired file is a HEIF file, the process proceeds to S705.
In S705, the server device 300 extracts the resource designation information.
In S706, the server device 300 executes resource type-specific processing. The processing by resource type means the processing performed for each resource type. In this embodiment, three different processes are executed as resource type-specific processes (FIGS. 8 to 10).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process when the resource type is a thumbnail image in the resource type-specific process of FIG. 7.
In S801, the server device 300 determines whether or not the resource type is a thumbnail image. If the determination result of S801 is No, the server device 300 ends the process. If the determination result of S801 is Yes, the process proceeds to S802.
In S802, the server device 300 determines whether or not there is a thumbnail image in the HEIF file. If it is determined that there is a thumbnail image, the process proceeds to S803.
In S803, the server device 300 acquires all thumbnail images from the HEIF file. After S803, proceed to S806.

If it is determined in S802 that there is no thumbnail image, the process proceeds to S804.
In S804, the server device 300 acquires all the image items other than the image in the HEIF file, for example, the hidden image. Here, the hidden image in the HEIF file is an image item in which (Flags & 1) is true for the Flags in the ItemInfoEntryBox. In the present embodiment, all image items other than the non-display image are acquired, but only the primary image may be acquired, or the non-display image may be included in the acquisition. Alternatively, if there is no thumbnail image (S802 is No), the process may be terminated.

In S805, the server device 300 generates a thumbnail image obtained by reducing the acquired image item with a predetermined resolution or ratio. After S805, the process proceeds to S806.
In S806, the server device 300 extracts (identifies) the conversion format information from the URI query string.
In S807, the server device 300 determines whether or not there is transform coding designation information for the thumbnail image. If it is determined that there is transform coding designation information, the process proceeds to S808. If it is determined that there is no transform coding designation information, the process proceeds to S809.
In S808, the server device 300 performs coding conversion according to the conversion format specified in S807. For example, the server device 300 once decodes the thumbnail image encoded by HEVC and re-encodes it by a specified encoding format, for example, JPEG. Even if there is no transform coding designation information, the server device 300 may determine the transform coding format by default.

In S809, the server device 300 generates an HTML file in which a thumbnail image is embedded.
In S810, the server device 300 extracts option information from the URI query string.
In S811, the server device 300 determines whether or not the original image acquisition option described in S610 of FIG. 6 is present. If it is determined that the original image acquisition option is available, the process proceeds to S812. If it is determined that there is no original image acquisition option, the process ends.
In S812, the server device 300 issues a corresponding original image acquisition URI for all the acquired thumbnail images.
In S813, the server device 300 embeds the issued original screen acquisition URI in the HTML file.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process in the resource type-specific process of FIG. 7 when the resource type is a primary image or an image item.
In S901, the server device 300 determines whether or not the resource type is the primary image. The primary image in the HEIF file is an image item specified by the PrimaryItemBox. If it is determined that the resource type is the primary image, the process proceeds to S902.
In S902, the server device 300 determines whether or not there is a primary image in the HEIF file. If it is determined that there is no primary image, the process ends. If it is determined that there is a primary image, the process proceeds to S903.
In S903, the server device 300 acquires the primary image from the HEIF file. After S903, proceed to S907.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the resource type is not the primary image (S901 is No), the process proceeds to S904.
In S904, the server device 300 determines whether or not the resource type is an image item. If it is determined that the resource type is not an image item, the process ends. If it is determined that the resource type is an image item, the process proceeds to S905.
In S905, the server device 300 determines whether or not the image item with the specified image item ID exists in the HEIF file. If it is determined that there is no image item with the specified image item ID, the process ends. If the resource is specified by the tag information in the image or the property identifier of HEIF without specifying the screen item ID, the server device 300 determines whether or not there is an image item that matches the conditions.

If there is an image item that matches the specified image item ID or the specified condition in the HEIF file (S905 is Yes), the process proceeds to S906.
In S906, the server device 300 acquires an image item.
In S907, the server device 300 extracts the conversion format information from the URI query string.
In S908, the server device 300 determines whether or not the resolution of the conversion format information is specified. If it is determined that the resolution is specified, the process proceeds to S909. If it is determined that the resolution is not specified, the process proceeds to S910.
In S909, the server device 300 resizes (resizes) the screen item to the specified size.
In S910, the server device 300 determines whether or not the coded conversion of the conversion format information is specified. If it is determined that there is a coding conversion designation, the process proceeds to S911. If it is determined that there is no coding conversion specification, the process ends.
In S911, the server device 300 performs a coding conversion.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing flow when the resource type is management data in the resource type-specific processing of FIG. 7.
In S1001, the server device 300 determines whether or not the resource type is management data. If the determination result of S1001 is No, the process ends. If the determination result of S1001 is Yes, the process proceeds to S1002.

In S1002, the server device 300 acquires management data from the HEIF file. In the present embodiment, the management data in the HEIF file refers to the entire metadata represented by MetaBox. In addition, instead of acquiring the entire management data, a specific Box in the MetaBox may be specified to acquire a part of the management data.
In S1003, the server device 300 extracts the conversion format information from the URI query string.
In S1004, the server device 300 determines whether or not the file format is specified in the conversion format information. If it is determined that the file format is specified, the process proceeds to S1005. If it is determined that the file format is not specified, the process proceeds to S1006.
In S1005, the server device 300 converts the management data into the designated file format.
In S1006, the server device 300 converts the management data into a default file format (for example, XML format).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the HEIF file existing on the network and the information for specifying the resource data stored in the HEIF file are added to the query string of the URI, so that the resource data can be individually specified and acquired (used). )can do. That is, the client device 200 can individually specify the resource data stored in the image file (306) located at a position away from the own device.
When the client device 200 cannot individually specify and acquire (use) the image data when viewing or printing the image data stored in the HEIF file, the following problems occur. That is, the client device that uses the resource data of the HEIF file (displayed or printed by the image output device) needs to acquire the entire HEIF file, analyze the HEIF file, and extract the resource data. Then, when the entire HEIF file is acquired, unused resource data also flows on the network as network traffic. Further, in order to extract the resource data inside the HEIF file after acquiring the HEIF file, the client device needs to have the ability to analyze the HEIF file. According to this embodiment, such a problem does not occur.
Further, in the present embodiment, by specifying the resource type, the client device 200 generates a request by itself and individually specifies and acquires the resource data without knowing what kind of data is stored in the HEIF file. can do.

In the present embodiment, the client device 200 transmits the acquisition URI of the image data to be printed to the printing device 400 (reference numeral 511 in FIG. 5) and causes the printing device 400 to print, but the server device 300 to the printing device 400. May send a print request to. For example, it is assumed that the printing apparatus 400 is compatible with IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) or the like and can receive a printing request. In this case, the client device 200 transmits the request information of the image data to be printed and the information of the IP address and the domain name of the printing device 400 to the server device 300. The latter information is, for example, incidental information of request information. Upon receiving the request information and the accompanying information, the server device 300 transmits the image data and the print request to the notified IP address or domain name of the printing device 400. As a result, the client device 200 can have the printing device 400 print the image data without directly inputting (transmitting) the request URI to the printing device 400. Explaining this with reference to FIG. 5, the arrow of reference numeral 511 points from the client device 200 to the server device 300, the arrow of reference numeral 512 disappears, and the arrow of reference numeral 514 causes the printing device 400 to print (515).

In the above-described embodiment, when the request URI504 of FIG. 5 is generated, the information for specifying the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image (“rsc = thmb”), but the information for specifying the resource data is , May be an identifier indicating the primary image. In this case, "rsc = thmb" of request URI504 becomes "rsc = pitm".
In the above embodiment, the printing device 400 is externally attached to the client device 200, but the printing device 400 and the client device 200 may be integrated.

[Embodiment 2]
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the first embodiment, the client device 200 causes the server device 300 to generate a URI for acquiring an original image corresponding to the thumbnail image. In the second embodiment, a case where the client device 200 acquires management data and the client device 200 itself generates a URI for acquiring an original image from the acquired management data will be described. In the following description, the same reference numbers are assigned to the same configurations and processes as in the first embodiment.
Since the configuration of the system 10 in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. Further, since the hardware configurations of the client device 200, the server device 300, and the printing device 400 are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 of the first embodiment, and is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation and processing of the client device 200, the server device 300, and the printing device 400 in the system 10.
First, the client device 200 transmits a file list acquisition request to the server device 300 (1101). The request 1101 includes information that specifies a file storage location, a file storage folder, and the like on the network.
The server device 300 transmits a response to the request 1101 to the client device 200 (1102). The response includes list information of files stored / stored in the file storage location or folder on the network specified in request 1101.

The client device 200 displays the file list information included in the response 1102 on the display unit 207 (1103). In FIG. 11, the file list information is shown as the application screen 1103. This application is software for printing an image file on the network 100 with the printing device 400, and the application screen 1103 is a screen for selecting an image file to be printed and data to be acquired. On the application screen 1103, as file list information, aaa. gif, bbb. heic, ccc. Three image files of jpg are displayed. In this embodiment, the HEIF file bbb. Suppose you select heic. When the HEIF file is selected by the user of the client device 200, three resource types (primary image, thumbnail image, management data) are displayed in the pull-down menu. In the present embodiment, the user of the client device 200 selects management data from the pull-down menu. When you select management data, another pull-down menu (pull-down menu for selecting a file format) is displayed on the right side of the pull-down menu. In the present embodiment, the user of the client device 200 selects XML as the file format. Finally, the user of the client device 200 selects the OK button. When the OK button is selected, the application will generate a request URI1104 according to the selected menu.

Since the information for specifying the file name in the request URI1104 is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted. The query string from the question mark "?" Following the file name specific information is the information that identifies the resource type and file format. “Rsc = meta” indicates that the resource type is management data. That is, the information that specifies the resource data is an identifier that indicates the management data. The ampersand "&" that follows acts as a delimiter in the query string. "Fmt = xml" specifies XML as the file format. Since the method of generating the request URI is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The client device 200 sends a request to the server device 300 using the generated URI1104 (1105). Upon receiving the request 1105, the server device 300 analyzes the URI and bbb. Convert heic management data (MetaBox) to XML.
Reference numeral 1106 is referred to as bbb. The management data of heic file is meta. It shows how to convert to an XML file called xml. The server device 300 transmits the converted XML file as a response 1107 to the client device 200.

Reference numeral 1108 analyzes the XML file (response 1107) received by the client device 200, and bbb. Shows the application screen that grasps (recognizes) the image items in the heic file and displays them as a list. That is, the CPU 202 of the client device 200 recognizes the image data in the image file (bbb.heic file) based on the management data (XML file), and displays the application screen 1108 on the display unit 207.
As an example, the application screen 1108 displays three image items (item ID 1 to item ID 3), of which item ID 1 is the primary image. The user of the client device 200 selects an image item for which the print preview is to be viewed. In the present embodiment, as an example, the user of the client device 200 selects item ID 1, JPEG as the encoding format, and 960 × 540 as the resolution. When that selection is made, the application generates a second URI1109. In URI1109, an image item is specified by "rsc = item1", conversion to JPEG is instructed by "cdc = jpeg", and a resolution is specified by "wdt = 960, hgt = 540". Since the item ID 1 is also a primary image, the information for specifying the resource data may be "rsc = pitm".

The client device 200 transmits the generated URI1109 as a request to the server device 300 (1110), and requests image data. It can be said that the URI 1109 is an image item acquisition request URI.
Upon receiving the request 1110, the server device 300 analyzes the URI 1109. Reference numeral 1111 is a result of analyzing the URI. It shows how the image data encoded by HEVC having an item ID of 1 in heic is converted into a JPEG image and the resolution is converted into 960 × 540. The image data that has been resized and converted into a JPEG image is transmitted from the server device 300 to the client device 200 (1112).
Reference numeral 1113 indicates an application screen in which the image data received by the client device 200 is displayed as a print preview screen. When the user of the client device 200 selects the print button, image data is input from the client device 200 to the print device 400 (1114). The printing device 400 prints and outputs the input image data (1115).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the client device 200 adds the HEIF file existing on the network and the information specifying the resource data stored in the HEIF file to the query string of the URI (1104). With this grant, the client device 200 can individually specify and acquire resource data (1107). Further, since the client device 200 can analyze the management data, the client device 200 can know what kind of data is stored in the HEIF file (1108). Therefore, the client device 200 can generate the request 1110 by itself and individually specify and acquire the resource data (1112).

[Other embodiments]

The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions. The program in this case is a computer-readable program corresponding to the flowchart illustrated in the embodiment. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit (Integrated Circuit for Specific Applications).

10 ... System, 100 ... Network, 200 ... Client device, 300 ... Server device, 202 ... CPU, 205 ... Communication I / F, 302 ... CPU, 305 ... Communication I / F, 400 ... Printing device, 504 ... Thumbnail image acquisition Request URI, 510 ... Image item acquisition request URI

Claims (17)

A communication device that specifies resource data in an image file stored in another communication device or in an image file accessible to the other communication device.
A generation means for generating a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) including information for designating the image file and information for designating the resource data in the image file.
A transmission means for transmitting the URI to the other device.
The resource data is a communication device including the image data or management data accompanying the image data. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the generation means generates the URI so that information specifying a conversion format of the resource data is included in the URI. At least one image data is stored in the image file, and the image file contains at least one image data.
The communication device further includes a recognition means for recognizing at least one image data stored in the image file based on the management data.
The generation means generates a second URI that specifies one image data from the at least one image data recognized by the recognition means.
The communication device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission means transmits the second URI to the other communication device. The communication device is a communication device that outputs image data in the image file from the image output device, and the image output device is a printing device connected to the communication device. The communication device according to any one. The communication device according to any one of 1 to 4, wherein the information designating the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image or a primary image. A receiving means for receiving a URI including information for designating an image file and information for specifying resource data in the image file from another communication device.
A specific means for specifying the image file from the information for specifying the image file included in the URI and specifying the resource data in the image file from the information for specifying the resource data.
An extraction means for extracting the resource data specified by the specific means from the image file specified by the specific means, and an extraction means.
A transmission means for transmitting the extracted resource data to the other communication device, and
Equipped with
The resource data is image data or management data accompanying the image data, and the image file is a communication device stored in the own device or an image file accessible by the own device. Further provided with a conversion means for converting the resource data,
The specific means identifies the conversion format from the information that specifies the conversion format of the resource data included in the URI.
The communication device according to claim 6, wherein the conversion means converts the resource data extracted by the extraction means according to the conversion format specified by the specific means. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein the information designating the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image or a primary image. The communication device further includes a generation means for generating a URI for acquiring the original image data corresponding to the thumbnail image when the information specifying the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image.
When the information specifying the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image, the transmission means transmits the image data of the thumbnail image and the information of the URI generated by the generation means to the other communication device. 8. The communication device according to claim 8. The communication device further comprises resizing means for resizing the image data.
When the information for designating the resource data is an identifier indicating a thumbnail image and the thumbnail image does not exist in the image file specified by the specific means, the transmission means determines the image data included in the image file. The communication device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the image data resized at the size or ratio of the above is transmitted to the other communication device. The information that specifies the resource data is
The item identifier described in the management data,
Property information described in the management data, or
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 6 and 7, characterized in that it is an identifier indicating the management data. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the file format of the image file is a file format defined by ISO / IEC2608Part12. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the information designating the image file includes a part or all of at least one image file name. The information that specifies the conversion format is
An identifier indicating the encoding format of image data,
An identifier indicating the file format of management data, or
The communication device according to claim 2, 3, 7 or 8, which is an identifier indicating the size of image data. A method of controlling a communication device that specifies resource data in an image file stored in another communication device or in an image file accessible to the other communication device.
A step of generating a URI including information that specifies the image file and information that specifies the resource data in the image file.
With a step of transmitting the URI to the other device.
The control method, wherein the resource data includes the image data or management data accompanying the image data. It is a control method for communication devices.
A step of receiving a URI including information for designating an image file and information for specifying resource data in the image file from another communication device, and
A step of specifying the image file from the information for specifying the image file included in the URI and specifying the resource data in the image file from the information for specifying the resource data.
A step of extracting the resource data specified by the specific step from the image file specified by the specific step, and a step of extracting the resource data.
A step of transmitting the extracted resource data to the other communication device, and
Have,
The resource data is image data or management data accompanying the image data, and the control is characterized in that the image file is stored in the communication device or is an image file accessible to the communication device. Method. A program for making a computer function as each means of the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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