JP2022155915A - application program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the operating labor of a user when a printer placed in a remote location is made to print an image in an information processor in which an automatic function is mounted on an operating system.SOLUTION: An operating system (OS) 21 of an electronic device 1 has a connection program 211 for automatically performing an action of procedural data in response to detection of a trigger, when the procedural data indicating the trigger and the action is registered. A printing application 22 is activated based on user operations or is activated by the connection program 211. When activated based on the user operations, the printer application 22 makes a CPU 11 execute manual output processing. When activated by the connection program 211, the printing application 22 obtains input information including data to be printed from the OS 21 when activated, obtains connection information for connecting with a server 3 outside a local network, and outputs a print job based on the data to be printed to a printer 4 through the server 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to application programs for outputting print jobs to a printer.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for outputting a print instruction to a printer installed at a remote location is known. For example, Patent Document 1 has a management server, an administrator terminal, and printers of a plurality of stores in remote locations, and a web server attaches print data to an e-mail and transmits it to each store's PC. , a printer in each store performs printing, a web server receives the print result from the PC in each store, and transmits the print result to an administrator terminal.

JP 2009-193302 A

In recent years, an operating system (OS) has been equipped with an automatic function in which procedure data indicating a series of procedures of multiple functions and operations are registered in the operating system (OS), and the OS automatically executes the functions and operations according to the registered procedure data. there is By using this automatic function, it is possible to automate the user's work until a predetermined output is obtained, thereby greatly reducing the user's operational burden. Even in the case of sending a print instruction to a remote printer as described above, further reduction of the burden can be expected by using the automatic function of the OS. However, Patent Document 1 does not describe the relationship with the OS, and there is room for improvement.

This specification discloses a technique for reducing the user's trouble when printing an image on a printer installed at a remote location in an information processing apparatus in which an operating system has an automatic function.

An application program intended to solve this problem is an application program executable by a computer of an information processing device, wherein an operating system of the information processing device has an automatic function, and the automatic function includes a plurality of When procedure data indicating a series of procedures of functions and operations and activation conditions that are conditions for activating the series of procedures are registered in the operating system, the operating system satisfies the activation conditions. The application program is a function for automatically executing the series of procedures in response to an event, and the application program is activated based on a user operation using the user interface of the information processing device, or the operating system has The application program may be activated based on the automatic function, and furthermore, when the application program is activated based on the user's operation using the user interface of the information processing apparatus, the application program may be printed by the computer. accepting data selection using the user interface, executing manual output processing for outputting a print job based on the selected data to be printed, and starting the computer based on the automatic function of the operating system a print target acquisition process for acquiring input information including data to be printed, which is input information input from the operating system at the time of startup, and a printer which is a specific server outside the local network. a connection information acquisition process for acquiring connection information for connecting to the specific server connected to the server; and automatic output processing for outputting the job to the printer via the specific server using the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition processing.

The application program disclosed in this specification receives input information including information indicating data to be printed at startup when it is started based on the automatic function of the OS, and furthermore, receives input information from a server outside the local network. Acquire connection information for using the connected printer. Then, the application program outputs a print job for printing based on the data to be printed using the acquired connection information. As a result, when the activation condition included in the registered procedure data is satisfied, the print job is automatically output to the printer via the server. Therefore, compared to the case of inputting the connection information to the printer every time a user wishes to print to a printer outside the local network, the user's trouble when printing with a printer located in a remote location outside the local network is reduced. can.

An electronic device that realizes the function of the application program, a control method for realizing the function of the application program, and a computer-readable storage medium that stores the application program are also novel and useful.

According to the technology disclosed in this specification, in an information processing device in which an operating system has an automatic function, there is a technology that reduces the user's trouble when printing an image on a printer installed in a remote location. Realized.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of manual output processing; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of processing by a print application when activated by a schedule notification; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image to be printed; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image to be printed; 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of output destination determination processing; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the procedure of processing by a print application when activated by a schedule notification;

Embodiments embodying a program incorporated in an electronic device will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses an application program (hereinafter referred to as "app") incorporated in a portable electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer.

The electronic device 1 of this embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12, as shown in FIG. Further, the electronic device 1 includes a user interface (hereinafter referred to as “user IF”) 13 , a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as “communication IF”) 14 and a camera 15 , which allow the controller 10 to properly connected. The electronic device 1 is an example of an information processing device. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the electronic device 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware that actually exists in the electronic device 1. .

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to programs read from the memory 12 and based on user's operations. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 includes, for example, ROM, RAM, HDD, and flash memory, and stores various programs and data.

The user IF 13 includes a configuration with a display function and a configuration with an operation reception function. The user IF 13 includes, for example, a touch panel with a display function and a touch reception function, and may further include a microphone with an audio input function and a speaker with an audio output function.

The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with various external devices. The communication method of the communication IF 14 is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), USB, NFC (abbreviation for Near Field Communication), or the like. Also, the electronic device 1 may be compatible with a plurality of communication methods as the communication IF 14 .

The camera 15 has a photographing function, and includes hardware for photographing a still image or a moving image based on a user's operation and storing the image data in the memory 12 . The image data of the photograph taken by the camera 15 may be stored with various information such as the date and time of photography, the place of photography, and the conditions of photography.

The electronic device 1 may further include various detection units that detect various states of the electronic device 1 . The electronic device 1 includes, as detection units, for example, a position detection unit that detects the position of the electronic device 1 in the ground surface direction using a GPS or the like, an orientation detection unit that detects the inclination of the electronic device 1 with respect to the direction of gravity using a gyro or the like, an electronic device 1 may be provided with a light quantity detection unit or the like that detects the brightness around the device 1 by means of an illuminance sensor or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 12 of the electronic device 1 of this embodiment incorporates an operating system (hereinafter referred to as "OS") 21 and various applications. The OS 21 is a multitasking OS that can process a plurality of tasks in parallel by managing and switching a plurality of tasks. registered trademark) or Linux (registered trademark).

A connection program 211 is installed in the OS 21 of the electronic device 1 of this embodiment. The linking program 211 is a program for automatically executing the processing registered in the procedure data based on the procedure data registered in advance. The connection program 211 is an example of a program for realizing automatic functions. The connection program 211 is, for example, SiriShortcut operable on iOS.

One or more procedure data can be registered in the connection program 211, and each procedure data is associated with a trigger, which is a condition for starting execution of the procedure, and an action, which is the content of the procedure to be executed. remembered. The linking program 211 constantly detects the trigger of the registered procedure data, and when the trigger is detected, it starts executing the stored action corresponding to the trigger. A series of procedures for sequentially executing a plurality of functions and operations in a predetermined order can be registered in the action of the procedure data. A trigger is an example of an automatic function activation condition, and an action is an example of an automatic function procedure.

Each procedure data of the connection program 211 includes, as triggers, for example, reception of a predetermined operation to the user IF 13, detection of predetermined information by various detection units provided in the electronic device 1, various It is possible to register the output of predetermined information by the application. Further, in each procedure data of the connection program 211, as an action, for example, registration of output to the user IF 13, reception of operation input, activation and termination of a predetermined application, and output of predetermined information to a predetermined application are registered. It is possible.

Note that the electronic device 1 of this embodiment has a lock function for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state as a display mode of the user IF 13 . For example, when the electronic device 1 has not received an operation continuously for a predetermined time or longer, the electronic device 1 enters a locked state, for example, displays a predetermined screen for the locked state, and restricts a part of the operation to the user IF 13. do.

In the locked state, the electronic device 1 accepts input of release information for releasing the locked state. Move to locked state. In the unlocked state, the electronic device 1 hides the screen for the locked state and displays the screen for the unlocked state, which is a screen on which various operations can be accepted.

However, even in the locked state, the OS 21 and the connection program 211 perform detection by each detection unit and determine whether or not the registered procedure data triggers. When the connection program 211 determines that the trigger of the registered procedure data has been detected, it automatically starts executing the action corresponding to the detected trigger even in the locked state.

Various applications can be incorporated in the electronic device 1, and various applications including at least the print application 22 are incorporated in the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment. The print application 22 is a program having a function of generating a print job for causing a printer to execute printing and outputting the generated print job to a designated output destination. The output destination of the print job may be a printer directly connected to the electronic device 1 or a server shared with a printer not directly connected. The print application 22 is an example of an application program. Details of the operation of the print application 22 will be described later.

Note that the print application 22 may be a dedicated program compatible with a predetermined model printer, or may be a general-purpose program compatible with various printers. The print application 22 may be a program for a printer that prints on standard size paper such as A4, or a program for a printer that prints on label paper to create a label. It may be a program that can also

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 of this embodiment further incorporates a calendar application 23 and a photo application 24 . The calendar application 23 is an application that accepts a user's schedule input and notification designation, and notifies the schedule based on the received designation. For example, the calendar application 23 outputs notification information to the OS 21 in the morning of the designated scheduled participation date when it receives the designation of the scheduled participation date of an event and the designation of the notification for the morning of the day. The calendar application 23 also accepts setting of a regular schedule such as the end of each month and instructions for notification, and performs regular notification based on the set schedule.

The photo application 24 is an application that manages image data such as photographs and moving images captured by the camera 15 and displays and edits the data based on user instructions. The photo application 24 can, for example, extract photos that meet specified conditions from the photos stored in the memory 12 based on the shooting date, the shooting target, and the like.

The electronic device 1 of this embodiment can be connected to the Internet 100 via the communication IF 14 . Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the server 3 and the printer 4 are connected to the Internet 100 respectively. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the printer 4 is outside the local network of the electronic device 1, and the electronic device 1 and the printer 4 are not directly connected. Note that the electronic device 1 and the printer 4 may or may not be directly connectable.

The server 3 is, for example, a cloud server on the Internet 100, receives registration of account information, and receives access using the registered account information. Then, the server 3 stores the data uploaded using the account information in association with the account information. The electronic device 1 and the printer 4 can access a common area of the server 3 by sharing account information. Specifically, the electronic device 1 can upload a print job to the server 3 using the account information, and the printer 4 can download and acquire the print job uploaded by the electronic device 1 using the same account information. .

The printer 4 is a device capable of executing printing based on a print job generated by the print application 22 . The printing method of the printer 4 is, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. The printer 4 of this embodiment stores the address information and account information of the server 3, and automatically accesses the server 3 periodically or upon receiving a notification from the server 3, and prints from the server 3. Download and print jobs.

Next, examples of various operations performed by the print application 22 will be described with reference to sequence diagrams and the like. The processing and each processing step below basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions described in each program. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21 of the electronic device 1 . In this specification, description of the OS 21 is omitted and the operation of the program will be described.

First, the procedure of manual output processing, which is the processing of the print application 22 when manually started based on the user's operation, will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The manual output process is based on the user's operation on the user IF 13, for example, when the print application 22 is specified and started by the user operating the application icon, based on the print application 22, It is executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 .

In the manual output process, the CPU 11 displays a top screen provided in advance (S101) and accepts the user's operation. The CPU 11 receives data to be printed and selection of print parameters based on the user's operation (S102). The CPU 11 also accepts the selection of the printer when the printer is not selected. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to execute printing has been accepted (S103), and if not (S103: NO), further accepts the user's operation.

When determining that the print execution instruction has been received (S103: YES), the CPU 11 generates a print job (S104), and transmits the generated print job to the designated output destination (S105). The output destination of the print job may be the printer connected to the electronic device 1 or the server 3 shared with the printer 4 .

After transmitting the print job, the print application 22 of the present embodiment stores the print log (S106). In the print log, information indicating data to be printed, information indicating a printer that is a device for printing, and information indicating the date and time when printing was executed are stored in association with each other. The print log may include information indicating print parameters. The information indicating the data to be printed may also include information indicating the color of the coloring material used for printing the data.

Further, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to end the print application 22 by the user's operation has been received (S107). If the end instruction has not been received (S107: NO), the CPU 11 returns to, for example, displaying the top screen, and further receives the user's operation. If the CPU 11 determines that an end instruction has been received by the user's operation ( S<b>107 : YES), the CPU 11 ends the print application 22 .

The print application 22 of the present embodiment may be activated in a procedure different from the user's operation. In the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment, one or more procedure data whose actions include procedures for starting the print application 22 are registered. The print application 22 is automatically started by the connection program 211 when the trigger of the registered procedure data is detected. An action includes a procedure for starting the print application 22. The action of the procedure data includes a procedure for passing input information including start information, which is trigger information of the procedure data, to the started print application 22. FIG.

Registration of the procedure data is performed, for example, by using a registration file provided together with the print application 22, automatically or based on the user's selection, along with the installation of the print application 22. FIG. Further, as an application different from the print application 22, a registration application for registering procedure data and having a plurality of procedure data prepared in advance may be provided. By executing the registration application, for example, the selected procedure data is registered in the electronic device 1 based on the user's selection.

When the print application 22 is activated based on the procedure data by the function of the link program 211, the print application 22 receives input information input from the link program 211, and determines a processing procedure after activation based on the received input information. For example, the determination procedure for determining data to be printed differs for each activation information included in the input information.

The print application 22 of the present embodiment does not receive input information when it is manually started based on the user's normal operation without going through the connection program 211 . If the print application 22 does not receive any input information at startup, the print application 22 executes the above-described manual output process. The printing application 22 of the present embodiment is manually activated based on a user operation, i.e., when no input information is received at the activation, and when automatically activated by the connection program 211, i.e., when the input information is input at the activation. Different actions are performed when information is received and when information is received.

Next, an example of the operation of the print application 22 when started by the connection program 211 based on the procedure data registered in the electronic device 1 will be described. The following processes are basically processes executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 based on the print application 22 and the like.

It is assumed that procedure data (hereinafter referred to as “calendar procedure data”) including the output of notification information from the calendar application 23 as a trigger is registered in the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment. Triggers for the calendar procedure data of this embodiment include, for example, meeting both the notification of the schedule from the calendar application 23 and the arrival of a predetermined time or entry into a predetermined location range. Arriving at a predetermined time means reaching a predetermined time, such as after the end of work. Entering within a predetermined position range means, for example, entering within a predetermined distance from a registered home position, that is, returning home.

For the action of the calendar procedure data of this embodiment, for example, the extraction of photos by the photo application 24, the activation of the print application 22, the notified schedule information, and the photo information extracted by the photo application 24 are input information. and a procedure for passing to the print application 22 as

The action of the calendar procedure data may further include a procedure of passing information indicating the output destination of the print job, for example, connection information for connecting to the output destination, to the print application 22 as input information. For example, when the calendar procedure data is registered in the electronic device 1, the registration application or the like described above can receive the designation of the output destination, and incorporate the connection information into the calendar procedure data based on the received information. The registered application or the like may acquire the connection information from the OS 21 based on the designation of the output destination. For example, when the printer 4 is specified as the output destination, the registered application or the like may acquire the connection information of the server 3 and incorporate it into the procedure data.

Processing of the print application 22 and the like based on calendar procedure data will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. Note that if the calendar procedure data is not registered, the electronic device 1 does not perform the operations shown in FIG. Processing by the OS 21 shown in FIG. 3 includes processing by the connection program 211 .

Note that the print application 22 accepts in advance an instruction to register information indicating the output destination of the print job by user operation (S201). The print application 22 registers, for example, connection information for connecting to the specified device as one of the output destinations of the print job based on the user's instruction (S202). S202 is an example of connection information registration processing. The print application 22 accepts registration of address information and account information of the server 3 as connection information indicating an output destination for printing by the printer 4, for example. In the manual output process described above, the print application 22 accepts selection of one of the connection information registered in the print application 22 as an output destination of the print job.

As described above, the calendar application 23 accepts schedule input and notification designation in advance (S203), and based on the received designation, outputs notification information to the OS 21 when the notification timing is reached (S204). When notification information is input to the OS 21, the connection program 211 determines whether or not the condition registered as a trigger for each procedure data registered in the electronic device 1 is satisfied based on the input notification information. It judges (S205).

If after returning home from the scheduled participation date of the event is registered as a trigger of the calendar procedure data, the connection program 211 detects the trigger after receiving the notification of the scheduled participation date from the calendar application, for example, after returning home on the same day. judge that it did. Further, if the night at the end of each month is registered as a trigger for the calendar procedure data, the connection program 211 detects the trigger at a predetermined time of the day after receiving the notification of the end of the month from the calendar application 23, for example. judge that it did.

When the connection program 211 of the OS 21 determines that the trigger is satisfied based on the notification information from the calendar application 23 (alt: [trigger]), it starts the action of the calendar procedure data.

As an action of the calendar procedure data, the connection program 211 first activates the photo application 24 and instructs extraction of a photo based on the notification information output from the calendar application 23 (S211). The photo application 24 extracts the photo based on the instruction from the link program 211 (S212). For example, in the calendar procedure data, an instruction is registered to extract, as an extraction target, a photograph taken during a period corresponding to the notification information, for example, during the current day or during the current month, and in which a person is photographed. can be In that case, the photo application 24 extracts portrait photos taken during the specified period. When the connection program 211 receives the information of the extraction result from the photo application 24 (S213), it terminates the photo application 24 (S214).

When the connection program 211 determines that there is a corresponding photo based on the information received from the photo application 24 (alt: [photo present]), it activates the print application 22 (S221), and receives notification from the calendar application 23. The input information including the schedule information based on the schedule and the photo information extracted by the photo application 24 is passed to the print application 22 (S222). S222 is an example of print target acquisition processing. As a result, the print application 22 is activated, and the print application 22 receives input information from the connection program 211 .

After S221 and S222, the connection program 211 ends the action of the calendar procedure data. Note that if the photo application 24 does not extract any photos that meet the extraction conditions, the connection program 211 may end the action of the calendar procedure data without activating the print application 22 .

When the print application 22 receives input information including schedule information at startup, the print application 22 does not execute the above-described manual output process, and starts an operation set in advance corresponding to the input information. As a set operation, the print application 22 first inquires of the OS 21 whether the electronic device 1 is in the locked state and obtains a reply (S225).

If it is in the locked state (alt: [locked state]), the print application 22 passes an instruction to the OS 21 to display the notification on the user IF 13 (S226). S226 is an example of notification processing in the locked state. The print application 22 displays a notification screen including, for example, information about the notified schedule, a message recommending printing of the photo by a remote printer, and a button for accepting an input as to whether or not to print the photo. Let As a result, a notification screen recommending printing is displayed on the user IF 13 via the OS 21, and the OS 21 accepts the user's selection. The process of receiving a selection on the notification screen based on S226 is an example of the receiving process. Undesired printing can be avoided by accepting a selection as to whether or not printing can be executed.

When the OS 21 receives an instruction to execute printing on the displayed notification screen, it causes the user IF 13 to display a release screen for accepting input of release information for releasing the locked state (S227). The user inputs release information for releasing the locked state on the release screen (S228). The OS 21 determines whether or not the input release information is appropriate release information. If it determines that the release information is not appropriate release information, the OS 21 displays the release screen again, and locks until the input of appropriate release information is received. maintain state. On the other hand, when determining that appropriate release information has been input, the OS 21 releases the locked state and enters the unlocked state.

When the OS 21 is unlocked by the user's operation, the OS 21 passes information indicating the unlocked state to the print application 22 . As a result, the print application 22 proceeds to the next operation. Note that when the OS 21 receives an instruction not to execute printing on the notification screen, the OS 21 passes that information to the print application 22 . When the print application 22 receives information from the OS 21 instructing it not to execute printing, or when a predetermined period of time elapses without receiving information indicating that it has entered the unlocked state after the notification screen is displayed, the print application 22 terminates itself. You can let me.

The print application 22 accepts a selection as to whether or not printing can be executed even in the locked state, but requests release of the locked state when execution is selected. As a result, printing by a third party can be suppressed, and safety can be improved.

If it receives a reply that it is not in the locked state in S225, or if it receives information indicating that it is in the unlocked state after S225, the print application 22 performs an image selection process for accepting selection of an image to be printed. The screen is displayed on the user IF 13 (S231). S231 is an example of notification processing in the unlocked state. The print application 22, for example, displays a list of photographs extracted by the photo application 24 as images to be selected, and accepts user's selection (S232).

In this embodiment, the notification contents differ between the locked state and the unlocked state. Since the information that can be input is different between the locked state and the unlocked state, it is possible to receive appropriate input by making a notification suitable for each state. Specifically, the notification of the unlocked state includes content information indicating the content of the data to be printed, such as a thumbnail, and the notification of the locked state does not include the content information. Since there is a considerable possibility that a third party is holding the electronic device 1 in the locked state, safety can be enhanced by not including content information in the notification. On the other hand, in the unlocked state, there is a high possibility that the person himself/herself is holding the electronic device 1, so the user can easily understand what kind of printing will be performed by notifying the user of the electronic device 1 including the content information. Note that the amount of data that can be displayed on the screen may be limited in the locked state, so the amount of messages may be smaller than in the unlocked state.

Note that the print application 22 may receive an instruction not to execute printing on the image selection screen. If the print application 22 does not accept an instruction input even after a predetermined time has passed since the image selection screen was displayed in S231, or if an instruction not to execute printing is accepted on the image selection screen, the print application 22 You can terminate it.

Upon receiving the selection of a photo to be printed, the print application 22 generates a print job based on the image data of the selected photo (S235). For example, when the print application 22 is activated based on the calendar procedure data, the print job may be generated using a template based on the schedule information acquired as the input information at the time of activation. For example, the input information passed to the print application 22 at startup may include information specifying a template.

Alternatively, the printing application 22 may accept registration of a template to be used in advance, for example, corresponding to the notified schedule type. The printing application 22 designates the arrangement of text information indicating dates and details of events and image data of selected photographs, as shown in FIG. Accept template registration. In addition, the print application 22 arranges the calendar data for the next month and the image data of the selected photo as shown in FIG. Accepts registration of a specified template. Note that the calendar data may be acquired by the print application 22 from the OS 21 or may be included in the input information. The process in which the print application 22 accepts template registration is an example of the template registration process.

If a template is registered, the printing application 22 selects the registered template based on the type of schedule included in the input information, and generates a print job based on the layout image in which the images are arranged in the template. The printing application 22 automatically arranges the images in the registered template, thereby reducing the user's labor required for printing the arranged images. If there is no template corresponding to the type of schedule, the print application 22 may accept template selection, or may generate a print job without using a template.

After generating the print job, the print application 22 executes output destination determination processing for determining the output destination of the generated print job (S236). The procedure of output destination determination processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This output destination determination process is executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 based on the print application 22 .

The CPU 11 determines whether or not information indicating the output destination printer or the like is registered in the print application 22 in association with the calendar procedure data (S301). The print application 22 may accept registration of connection information of an output destination in advance as an output destination of a print job when input information including schedule information is received at startup. The print application 22 may accept registration of different output destinations, for example, corresponding to the type of schedule included in the input information. By registering the output destination in the print application 22 in advance, the print application 22 can manage the output destination.

If it is determined that the output destination printer is not registered in the print application 22 (S301: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not information indicating the output destination printer etc. is included in the input information received at startup. It judges (S302). As described above, a procedure for passing input information including connection information to the print application 22 can be set as an action of the calendar procedure data. If the input information includes output destination information, the print application 22 can acquire the output destination information based on the input information. By including the output destination information in the input information, the output destination can be assigned to each procedure data.

Note that the output destination information may be information for the print application 22 to acquire connection information for connecting to the destination device to which the print job is to be output. The output destination information may be, for example, connection information for connecting to a printer, information such as a printer name for identifying a printer, or connection information for a server to which a printer can be connected. . For example, when the output destination information is information indicating a remote printer 4 , the print application 22 can acquire the connection information of the server 3 as the connection information of the output destination corresponding to the printer 4 .

If it is determined that the input information does not include information on the output destination (S302: NO), the CPU 11 accepts designation of the output destination by the user (S303). For example, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a list of output destinations whose connection information is stored in the print application 22, and accepts selection by the user. For example, the CPU 11 receives a selection of a printer and acquires connection information for connecting to the selected printer. S303 is an example of connection information acquisition processing.

On the other hand, if it is determined that a printer corresponding to the calendar procedure data is registered (S301: YES), or if it is determined that the input information includes printer information (S302: YES), the CPU 11 The connection information corresponding to the printer is acquired (S304). S304 is an example of connection information acquisition processing.

The connection information may be connection information for connecting directly to the printer, or connection information for connecting to another device that can pass print jobs to the printer. The connection information may include, for example, a mail address associated with the printer, a MAC address, a name of the printer, and other information associated with the printer. For example, if the printer 4 at a remote grandparent's house is specified as the printer, the CPU 11 acquires connection information for connecting to the server 3, which is a specific server outside the local network, in S304. The connection information of the server 3 may be stored in the print application 22 in association with the information of the printer 4, or may be included in the input information.

After S303 or S304, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a printer in the local network (S306). S306 is an example of search processing. The CPU 11 sends out a search signal for searching for a printer via, for example, a local network, and determines whether or not it has received a response signal from the printer.

If it is determined that there is a printer in the local network (S306: YES), the CPU 11 inquires of the user whether to change the output destination from the connection information acquired in S303 or S304 to a locally connected printer ( S307). S307 is an example of inquiry processing.

When determining to change the output destination based on the user's answer (S307: YES), the CPU 11 changes the connection information indicating the output destination to the connection information for local connection (S309). S309 is an example of change output processing.

For example, if the electronic device 1 is at the grandparent's house, the electronic device 1 can be locally connected to the printer 4 at the grandparent's house, which is usually remote. When the electronic device 1 is locally connected to the printer 4 , the print job can be output to the printer 4 without using the server 3 by switching to the local connection. Also, if there is another printer in the local network, that is, if there is a printer near the electronic device 1, it may be easier for the user to output to that printer. The print application 22 of this embodiment inquires about a change of the output destination when there is a printer in the local network and enables the change. Therefore, the output destination can be changed according to the user's desire.

On the other hand, if it determines that there is no printer in the local network (S306: NO), or if it determines that it has received a response not to change the output destination (S307: NO), the CPU 11 acquires the printer in S303 or S304. Using the obtained connection information, connection confirmation with the connection destination device is performed, and it is determined whether or not connection is possible (S311). S311 is an example of confirmation processing. For example, if the acquired connection information is the connection information of the server 3 , the CPU 11 connects to the Internet 100 via the communication IF 14 and confirms the connection with the server 3 .

When determining that the connection has succeeded (S311: YES), the CPU 11 determines the device connected by the connection information as the output destination (S312). On the other hand, when determining that the connection has failed (S311: NO), the CPU 11 does not determine the output destination and notifies an error via the user IF 13 (S313). S313 is an example of notification processing. By confirming the connection before outputting the print job, it is possible to avoid unnecessary processing when the connection cannot be established. After S309 or S312 or S313, the CPU 11 ends the output destination determination process and returns to the procedure in FIG.

Returning to the description of FIG. If the output destination has been determined in S309 or S312 of the output destination determination processing, the print application 22 outputs the print job generated in S235 to the determined output destination (S237). S237 is an example of automatic output processing. Note that if an error is reported in S313 of the output destination determination process, the print application 22 does not execute S237.

After S237 or error notification, the print application 22 terminates itself (S238). Note that when the print job is output to the server 3, the printer 4 can receive the print job from the server 3 via the Internet 100, and can execute printing based on the received print job. As a result, the printer 4 at the remote grandparent's house generates a printed matter including the photograph taken with the electronic device 1 .

As described in detail above, the print application 22 described in this specification receives input information from the connection program 211 when activated by the connection program 211 based on the calendar procedure data, and based on the received input information. to obtain data to be printed and connection information. Further, the print application 22 generates a print job for printing based on the acquired data to be printed, and automatically outputs the generated print job using the acquired connection information. As a result, the print job is automatically output to the printer 4 via the server 3 outside the local network when the start condition included in the calendar procedure data is satisfied. Therefore, compared to the case of inputting the connection information to the printer 4 every time a user wishes to print to the printer 4 outside the local network, the user's effort when printing with the printer 4 located at a remote location outside the local network is reduced. It can save you time.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can naturally be improved and modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the electronic device 1 is not limited to being portable, and may be a stationary personal computer or the like. Further, the printer connected to the electronic device 1 is not limited to a printer having a single printing function, and may be a device having a printing function such as a multi-function machine, a copier, a FAX machine, or the like. Also, the number of servers connectable to the electronic device 1 is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

Also, in this embodiment, only procedures based on calendar procedure data have been described, but other procedure data may be registered in the electronic device 1 . If there is further procedure data that includes an activation procedure for the print application 22 as an action, the print application 22 may execute processing different from that of the present embodiment based on input information from the procedure data.

Further, for example, in the calendar procedure data action of the present embodiment, the data recommended to be printed is extracted and displayed, and the user is asked whether or not to print, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the print application 22 may determine a photograph extracted by the photo application 24 as data to be printed, generate a print job, and automatically output the print job. In that case, the print application 22 may notify that the print job has been output after outputting the print job.

Further, for example, in the present embodiment, the photo application 24 is caused to extract photos, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the connection program 211 or the OS 21 may perform this. In addition, in the action of the calendar procedure data in this embodiment, after extracting a photo, the print application 22 is activated if there is a photo.

Further, for example, the print application 22 may extract the photos. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the connection program 211 detects a trigger of the calendar procedure data, the connection program 211 may activate the print application 22 and pass the input information including the notified schedule information to the print application 22. good. The print application 22 may access the photo data in the unlocked state and extract images to be selected based on the schedule information (S401).

Further, for example, the output destination determination process in S236 may be executed before the print job is generated in S235 or before the selection of the image is accepted in S231. In that case, if the confirmation of the connection fails and an error is notified, the print job may not be generated or the image selection may not be accepted. Alternatively, the print application 22 may generate a print job, store it in the memory 12 even if the connection cannot be confirmed, try the connection again, and output it when the connection is confirmed.

Also, for example, the determinations in S301 and S302 of the output destination determination process may be performed in reverse order. In other words, the print application 22 may preferentially use the output destination included in the input information of the procedure data over the output destination registered in the print application 22 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the print application 22 terminates itself when the process is completed when started based on the procedure data, but it does not have to be terminated.

Further, in any flowchart disclosed in the embodiments, multiple processes in any multiple steps can be arbitrarily changed in execution order or executed in parallel as long as there is no contradiction in the processing contents.

Also, the processing disclosed in the embodiments may be performed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as an ASIC, or a combination thereof. Further, the processes disclosed in the embodiments can be realized in various forms such as a recording medium recording a program for executing the processes, a method, and the like.

1 electronic device 3 server 4 printer 11 CPU
13 User interface

Claims (10)

An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device, wherein an operating system of the information processing device has an automatic function, the automatic function comprising a plurality of functions and a series of operations and a series of procedures. and procedure data indicating a condition for starting a is registered in the operating system, the operating system automatically executes the series of procedures in response to the satisfaction of the condition for starting is the function to perform,
The application program may be started based on a user operation using the user interface of the information processing device or may be started based on the automatic function of the operating system,
Further, the application program
to the computer;
When activated based on a user operation using the user interface of the information processing apparatus, accepts selection of data to be printed using the user interface, and outputs a print job based on the selected data to be printed Execute the manual output process to
Furthermore, in said computer,
print target acquisition processing for acquiring input information including data to be printed, which is input information input from the operating system at the time of start-up when started based on the automatic function of the operating system; Included in connection information acquisition processing for acquiring connection information for connecting to the specific server outside the local network and connected to the printer, and in the input information acquired in the print target acquisition processing automatic output processing for outputting a print job for printing based on the data to be printed to the printer via the specific server using the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition processing; let it run,
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to claim 1,
to the computer;
executing connection information registration processing for registering the connection information for connecting to the specific server;
In the connection information acquisition process,
acquiring the connection information by reading the connection information registered by the connection information registration process;
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to claim 1,
In the connection information acquisition process,
The connection information is acquired from the input information acquired in the print target acquisition process, and the procedure data registered in the operating system includes designation of an output destination printer. When the application program is launched by the function, the input information including the connection information for connecting to the specific server connected to the specified printer is passed to the application program;
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
to the computer;
causing the user interface of the information processing device to perform notification processing based on the input information when activated based on the automatic function of the operating system; The display mode includes a locked state that restricts a part of input through the user interface and an unlocked state that is not the locked state. different from
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to claim 4,
In the notification process,
In the unlocked state, the notification content includes content information indicating the content of the data to be printed, and in the locked state, the notification content does not include the content information.
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to claim 4 or claim 5,
to the computer;
executing the notification process after the print target acquisition process and before the automatic output process when activated based on the automatic function of the operating system;
In the notification process,
As the notification, a notification requesting selection of whether or not to perform printing based on the input information is provided;
to the computer;
After the notification process, a reception process for receiving a selection of whether or not to print based on the input information is executed, and on the condition that the selection of printing based on the input information is received in the reception process. , causing the automatic output process to be executed;
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to claim 6,
to the computer;
When the selection of printing based on the input information is accepted in the acceptance process, if the unlocked state, the automatic output process is executed, and if the locked state, the locked state is released. displaying a screen to be displayed on the user interface of the information processing device, and executing the automatic output process on the condition that the locked state has shifted to the unlocked state;
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
to the computer;
When activated based on the automatic function of the operating system, before executing the automatic output process, a search process for searching for a printer in the local network is executed, and furthermore, the local printer is executed by the search process. When a printer is searched in the network, an inquiry process is executed to inquire whether or not to change the output destination to the searched printer, and an instruction to change the output destination is input by the inquiry process. , the automatic output process is not executed, the output destination is set to the printer searched by the search process, and the change output process is executed to output the print job, and an instruction is input to change the output destination by the inquiry process. If not, or if the printer is not found by the search process, causing the automatic output process to be executed;
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
to the computer;
Confirmation of connection with the specific server using the connection information acquired by the connection information acquisition process before executing the automatic output process when activated based on the automatic function of the operating system and if the connection with the specific server can be confirmed in the connection confirmation by the confirmation process, the automatic output process is executed, and in the connection confirmation by the confirmation process a notification process for notifying that output to the printer is not possible using the user interface of the information processing apparatus without executing the automatic output process when the connection with the specific server cannot be confirmed; let it run,
An application program characterized by: In the application program according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
to the computer;
Execute template registration processing for registering template information,
In the automatic output process,
The print job for performing printing based on an arrangement image in which the print target data included in the input information acquired by the print target acquisition process is arranged in the template registered by the template registration process is defined as the connection information. outputting to the printer via the specific server using the connection information acquired in the acquisition process;
An application program characterized by:

Images