JP3739252B2 - Printing device, mobile phone, and printing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a cellular phone, and a printing system in which a cellular phone and a printing apparatus are connected using a cable, infrared rays, or the like, and data stored in the cellular phone is printed by the printing apparatus.
[0002]
[Prior art]
  In recent years, data such as mobile phone data printing device ( Printer ) A printing system that can perform printing is developed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-320977 discloses a printing system capable of printing character data and voice data stored in a mobile phone or the like by converting them into bitmap data in a printing apparatus.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
  By the way, today's mobile phones are configured so as to be able to store a plurality of data in accordance with technological advancement. Therefore, in the printing system of the above publication, the user selects data to be printed from a plurality of data and outputs it to the printing apparatus.
  However, in such a system, the user is forced to select data using a small display screen provided on the mobile phone and a dial key. For this reason, there is a big problem that visibility and operability cannot be improved at the time of data selection.
[0004]
  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, a mobile phone, and a printing system that can improve the visibility and operability when selecting data.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  In the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described problem, the printable data is printed by connecting to a mobile phone so as to be communicable,
  A connection that can be connected to a mobile phone;
  An index information acquisition unit having a function of acquiring a list of index information related to printable data stored in the mobile phone via the connection unit;
  A display unit that is larger than the display screen of the mobile phone and displays a list of index information;
  An input unit having a function of allowing the user to select at least one index information from a list of index information;
  A printable data acquisition unit having a function of acquiring printable data related to each piece of information selected by the user via the input unit, stored in the mobile phone,
  And a printing unit that prints the acquired printable data.
[0006]
  The display unit includes a function that displays a list of categories.
  The input unit includes a function that allows the user to select at least one category,
  The index information acquisition unit includes a function for requesting the mobile phone a list of index information related to all printable data belonging to one of the categories selected by the user when acquiring the list of index information from the mobile phone. It would be nice if
[0007]
  The index information includes thumbnail information of the corresponding printable data,
  The input unit includes a function of receiving an input for instructing a preview from the user,
  The display unit preferably includes a function of displaying thumbnail information as a preview when receiving an input for instructing a preview from the input unit.
  In addition, the printing unit preferably includes a function of outputting an instruction to erase printable data that has been successfully printed to the mobile phone when printing is normally completed.
[0008]
  The input unit further includes a function of receiving an input for instructing a preview from the user,
  The display unit may further include a function of displaying a print image of printable data as a preview when receiving an input instructing a preview from the input unit.
[0009]
  Further, in the present invention, in order to achieve the above-described problem, a connection unit connectable to the printing apparatus according to claim 1;
  A storage unit capable of storing at least one printable data;
  An index information transmission unit having a function of transmitting a list of index information relating to printable data stored therein to the printing apparatus when requested to transmit a list of index information from the printing apparatus;
  And a printable data transmitting unit having a function of transmitting corresponding printable data to the printing apparatus when a request is made to transmit the printable data from the printing apparatus.
[0010]
  When the index information transmission unit is requested to transmit a list of index information from the printing apparatus, if the request includes at least one category information, all the index information transmission units belong to any one of the category information. It is preferable to include a function of transmitting a list of index information relating to printable data to the printing apparatus.
  The index information transmission unit preferably transmits the index information including thumbnail information of the corresponding printable data.
  Further, when receiving an instruction from the printing apparatus to delete the printable data, it is preferable to delete the corresponding printable data from the storage unit.
[0011]
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising the printing apparatus according to claim 1 and the mobile phone according to claim 6.
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising the printing device according to claim 2 and the mobile phone according to claim 7.
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising the printing apparatus according to claim 3 and the mobile phone according to claim 8.
[0012]
  Furthermore, in order to achieve the said subject in this invention, the printing apparatus of Claim 4,
The mobile phone according to claim 9 is included.
  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by comprising the printing apparatus according to claim 5 and the mobile phone according to claim 6.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1
  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lint system includes a mobile phone 101 including a mobile phone,
And a printing apparatus 102.
[0014]
  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 101 includes an input unit 113 composed of a dial key, a display unit 114 composed of a small LCD screen, a storage unit 109, a printable data transmission unit 110, a connection unit 111, and an index information transmission unit. 112. The storage unit 109 includes a memory that stores printable data transmitted to the mobile phone 101. The printable data transmission unit 110 functions to transmit printable data to the printing apparatus 102. The connection unit 111 is an infrared interface for connecting the mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102. The mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102 are logically connected using an infrared communication protocol such as IrDA.
[0015]
  The index information transmitting unit 112 classifies all printable data stored in the storage unit 109 into categories (by data type), and information indicating the contents of each printable data (index information) Is generated. The index information transmission unit 112 also has a function of transmitting index information to the printing apparatus 102.
[0016]
  The printing apparatus 102 is a printer that prints printable data transmitted from the mobile phone 101. This system is set so that printable data to be printed can be selected on the printing apparatus 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the printing apparatus 102 includes an index information acquisition unit 103, a connection unit 104, a printable data acquisition unit 105, a display unit 106, an input unit 107, and a printing unit 108.
[0017]
  The connection unit 104 is an infrared interface that connects the mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102. The mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102 are logically connected using an infrared communication protocol such as IrDA. The printable data acquisition unit 105 functions to request and acquire printable data selected by the user from the printing apparatus 101.
[0018]
  The display unit 106 includes a large LCD panel that displays the progress / results of the printing process to the user. The printing unit 108 includes a print engine for printing printable data transmitted from the mobile phone 101 on a predetermined sheet (recording paper). The input unit 107 is a pressure-sensitive device incorporated in the LCD panel and functions to accept a user input instruction. The input unit 107 is set to detect a pressed position when the user presses a button displayed on the LCD panel with a finger or the like, and determines the content of the user's instruction according to the coordinates.
[0019]
  The index information acquisition unit 103 functions to display a list of categories as shown in FIG. This index information acquisition unit 103 is set to request index information of printable data belonging to the selected category from the mobile phone 101 when a category is selected by the user via the input unit 107. . Then, the index information transmitted from the mobile phone 101 is acquired and displayed on the display unit 106.
[0020]
  FIG. 4 shows each printable data when “Mail” is selected as the category. ( Mail data ) It is explanatory drawing which shows the index information. As shown in the figure, the index information of each mail data includes the date and time when the mail was transmitted, the sender, and the title (subject). The user can select mail data to be printed by pressing the print start button.
  Note that the user can also return the process to the category selection screen using a button for returning to the original position. The user can also select a plurality of categories or printable data at the same time.
[0021]
  Next, the printing operation in this system will be described. 7 and 8 are a data flow diagram and a flowchart showing the flow of the printing operation.
[0022]
  As shown in the figure, when the connection between the mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102 is established by the user at the start of printing (S801), the index information acquisition unit 103 of the printing apparatus 102 is as shown in FIG. A list of categories is displayed (S802). When the user selects a category, the index information acquisition unit 103 requests index information of printable data belonging to the selected category, so that the mobile phone 101 receives an index information request as shown in FIG. Send the packet. In this packet, as shown in the figure, an identification ID indicating the type of the packet, the number (n) of the selected category, and ID1 to IDn indicating the type of the selected category are described.
[0023]
  In response to this, the index information transmission unit 112 of the mobile phone 101 transmits an index information list packet as shown in FIG. 16 including the index information of all printable data belonging to the requested category to the printing apparatus 102 ( S803 and S804). As shown in FIG. 16, the list packet includes an identification ID indicating the type of packet and the number of indexes. ( n ) , And index information 1 to n in each printable data.
  When a plurality of categories are selected, the list packet includes index information of all printable data belonging to each category.
[0024]
  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of index information when the printable data is mail data. As shown in the figure, the index information includes a data length, a data ID, a category ID, a transmission date and time, a sender, a title (subject), and a thumbnail. Then, the index information acquisition unit 103 displays the transmitted index information as shown in FIG. 4, and waits for the user to select printable data (S805 and S806). Thereafter, when the user selects the return button on the display screen of FIG. 4, the process returns to S802 (FIG. 3).
[0025]
  On the other hand, when the print start button is selected, the printable data acquisition unit 105 transmits a printable data request packet as shown in FIG. 18 to the mobile phone 101 in order to acquire the selected printable data. (S807). In this packet, as shown in FIG. 18, an identification ID indicating the type of packet, the number (n) of selected printable data, and ID1 to IDn for specifying each printable data are described.
[0026]
  In response to this, the printable data transmission unit 110 transmits a printable data packet including the requested printable data as shown in FIG. 19 to the printing apparatus 102 (S808). This packet includes an identification ID indicating the type of packet, the number of printable data (n), and printable data 1 to n, as shown in FIG.
[0027]
  FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of printable data (mail data) included in the printable data packet. As shown in this figure, the mail data includes a data length, a data ID, a category ID, a transmission date / time, a sender, a title (subject), and a mail text (full text). Then, the printable data acquisition unit 105 transmits the printable data transmitted from the printable data transmission unit 110 to the printing unit 108. Thereafter, the printing unit 108 prints printable data on a predetermined sheet. ( S809 ) , The process ends.
[0028]
  As described above, according to the present system, a list of categories and index information are displayed on the display unit 106 that is a large LCD panel in the printing apparatus 102. When the button shown on the display unit 106 is pressed with a finger or the like, The printing apparatus 102 is configured to select printable data to be printed by the printing apparatus 102.
[0029]
  Therefore, in the present system, it is possible to select data to be printed using the large-sized display unit 106 with high visibility and the input unit 107 with high operability provided in the printing apparatus 102. Thereby, compared with the structure which selects data using the small screen in the mobile telephone 101, a dial key, etc., a user's operativity can be improved significantly.
[0030]
  In the present embodiment, the user is set to select printable data based on the index information transmitted from the mobile phone 101 to the printing apparatus 102. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the index information acquisition unit 103 of the printing apparatus 102 analyzes all printable data stored in the storage unit 109 of the mobile phone 101, creates the index information, and displays it on the display unit 106. It is also possible to do so. Further, without displaying the index information, the user may select data to be printed by directly inputting an ID or name for specifying printable data to the input unit 107 of the printing apparatus 102. In this way, the printing process can be greatly simplified.
[0031]
  In the present embodiment, after the printable data is selected by the user, the printing apparatus 102 acquires the data from the mobile phone 101 and prints it. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the printable data acquisition unit 105 previously acquires all printable data in the mobile phone 101 and stores the data. ( Not shown ) You may memorize it. Then, the index information acquisition unit 103 may create index information of printable data stored in the storage unit and display it on the display unit 106.
[0032]
  The printing unit 108 can also be set to read out the selected data from the storage unit and print it. In this way, the amount of information transmitted between the mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102 can be reduced, so that simplification of the printing process can be expected.
  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mobile phone 101 and the printing apparatus 102 are connected by the infrared interfaces 104 and 111, but they may be connected by a cable or by wireless communication using radio waves.
Embodiment 2
[0033]
  Next, a second embodiment will be described. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.
  Printing system in this embodiment ( This system ) Then, the index information transmission unit 112 shown in FIG. 2 is set to include thumbnails of printable data in the index information. Then, the index information acquisition unit 103 in FIG. 1 displays a thumbnail of the selected printable data on the display unit 106.
[0034]
  Here, the thumbnail refers to a template of printable data. In the present system, when the printable data is image data, the thumbnail is a reduced image. When the printable data is mail data, the thumbnail is data up to the first 100 characters in the mail data. The thumbnail is set to be displayed by selecting a preview button shown in FIG.
[0035]
  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of thumbnails in mail data. As shown in the figure, the display unit 106 has a print start button for instructing the start of printing in addition to the contents of printable data, and the index information one before. ( One after ) A previous (next) button for displaying thumbnails in the printable data and a return button for returning to the index information display screen are displayed. By selecting these buttons using the input unit 107, the user can A predetermined instruction is input.
[0036]
  Next, the printing operation in this system will be described. 9 and 10 are a data flow diagram and a flowchart showing the flow of the printing operation in this system.
  As shown in these drawings, the processing from the start of printing to the display of index information (FIG. 5) is the same as the processing shown in FIGS. Thereafter, the processing when the return button or the print start button is selected is the same as the processing shown in FIGS.
[0037]
  When the preview button is selected, the index information acquisition unit 103 displays a thumbnail of printable data selected by the user on the display unit 106 as shown in FIG. 6 (S1001), and waits for an instruction from the user (S1001). S1002 and S1003). When the return button is selected, the index information acquisition unit 103 returns the display on the display unit 106 to the index information as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the print start button is selected, printable data is acquired by the printable data acquisition unit 105 and printed by the printing unit 108 (S808, S809).
[0038]
  Further, when the previous button or the next button is selected, the index information acquisition unit 103 displays a list packet of the acquired index information. ( FIG. ) Before the index information currently displayed on the display unit 106. ( Next ) Is displayed on the display unit 106 (S1004).
  As described above, in this system, thumbnails of printable data can be displayed. Thereby, since the user can confirm the contents of the printable data before printing, it is possible to prevent the erroneous selection of the printable data very effectively.
  Embodiment 3
[0039]
  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.
  Printing system according to the present embodiment ( This system ) The printing unit 108 shown in FIG. 1 is set to request the mobile phone 101 to delete the printable data when printing of the printable data is successful. Then, the storage unit 109 in the mobile phone 101 deletes the printable data.
[0040]
  Here, successful printing means that an image corresponding to printable data can be appropriately formed on a sheet without causing a printing trouble such as paper jam or lack of toner.
[0041]
  11 and 12 are a data flow diagram and a flowchart showing the flow of operations in this system. As shown in these drawings, the processing from the start of printing to the printing of printable data is the same as the processing in FIGS.
  Thereafter, the printing unit 108 determines whether or not the printing is successful (S1201). If it is determined that the printing is unsuccessful, the process ends.
[0042]
  On the other hand, if it is determined that printing has been successful, the printing unit 108 requests the mobile phone 101 to delete printable data relating to printing (S1202). In response to this, the printing unit 108 of the mobile phone 101 deletes the printable data (S1203), and the process ends.
  According to the above system, printed printable data can be automatically deleted. Accordingly, the user can surely delete the printable data that has become unnecessary by printing from the mobile phone 101 without any particular instruction.
Embodiment 4
[0043]
  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.
  Printing system in this embodiment ( This system ) Then, when the preview button shown in FIG. 5 is selected, the printable data acquisition unit 105 is set to acquire printable data from the mobile phone 101, create a thumbnail, and display the thumbnail on the display unit 106. . That is, in this system, even when the index information does not include a thumbnail, the thumbnail can be displayed before printing.
[0044]
  13 and 14 are a data flow diagram and a flowchart showing the flow of operations in the present system. As shown in these drawings, the processing from the start of printing until printable data is acquired is the same as the processing in FIGS.
  That is, when the user selects a preview button or a print start button on the screen shown in FIG. 5, the printable data acquisition unit 105 acquires the selected printable data from the mobile phone 101 (S808). If the selected button is a print start button, the printing unit 108 prints the printable data (S809), and the process ends.
[0045]
  On the other hand, when the preview button is selected, the printable data acquisition unit 105 creates a thumbnail of the acquired printable data and displays it as a preview on the display unit 106 as shown in FIG. 6 (S1401 and S1402). . If the return button is selected on this screen, the process returns to S805. On the other hand, if the print start button is selected, printing by the printing unit 108 is performed (S809), and the process ends.
[0046]
  When the previous button or the next button is selected, the printable data acquisition unit 105 displays the index information list packet acquired by the index information acquisition unit 103. ( FIG. ) Before the thumbnail currently displayed on the display unit 106. ( Next ) The printable data relating to the information is acquired from the mobile terminal device 101, a thumbnail of the acquired printable data is created and displayed on the display unit 106 (S1404).
[0047]
  According to the above system, thumbnails of printable data can be displayed. Thereby, the user can grasp the contents of the printable data before printing, and can prevent the erroneous selection of the printable data very effectively. Furthermore, there is no need for the mobile phone 101 to have a thumbnail creation function.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
  As described above, according to the first, sixth, and tenth aspects of the present invention, a printing apparatus that has a display unit that is larger than a display screen of a mobile phone that is a mobile phone and has high visibility and an input unit that has high operability Therefore, the visibility and operability can be improved as compared with the case where data is selected using a small display screen of a mobile phone. Therefore, there is an effect that the user can easily select data to be printed.
[0049]
  Further, according to the inventions of claims 2, 7, and 11, since only index information belonging to the category specified by the user is displayed in a list on the display unit, even when a large amount of data is input to the mobile phone, The user can easily select data to be printed.
  Furthermore, according to the third, eighth, and twelfth aspects of the present invention, since the user can confirm the contents of the data on the display unit before printing the data, it is possible to prevent the erroneous data from being printed. be able to.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows an internal configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to claims 1 to 5; It is a block diagram which shows composition.
FIG. 2 shows an internal configuration of a mobile phone in an embodiment of a mobile phone according to claims 6 to 9; It is a block diagram.
3 constitutes a printing apparatus in an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to claims 2 to 5. FIG. It is an example of a display which shows the list of the categories of a display part.
FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to claims 1, 2, and 4. It is a display example which shows the list of the index information of the display part to comprise.
FIG. 5 shows a printing apparatus in an embodiment of a printing apparatus according to claims 3 and 5; It is a display example which shows the list of the index information of a display part.
6 shows a printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the printing apparatus according to the third and fifth aspects of the present invention. It is an example of a display which shows the preview of a display part.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing apparatus and a mobile phone according to an embodiment of a printing system according to claim 11; It is a data flow which shows a pattern which exchanges data between telephones.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a print system according to an embodiment of the print system according to claim 11; It is a flowchart of the algorithm which shows a behavior.
FIG. 9 shows a printing apparatus and a mobile phone according to an embodiment of a printing system according to the invention. It is a data flow which shows a pattern which exchanges data between telephones.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a printing system according to an embodiment of a printing system according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention; It is a flowchart of the algorithm which shows the behavior of a lint system.
FIG. 11 shows a printing apparatus and a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the printing system according to the thirteenth aspect of the present invention; It is a data flow which shows a pattern which exchanges data between telephones.
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a print system according to the embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart of the algorithm which shows a behavior.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a printing apparatus and a mobile phone according to an embodiment of a printing system according to claim 14; It is a data flow which shows a pattern which exchanges data between telephones.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a print system according to the embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart of the algorithm which shows a behavior.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing apparatus, a mobile phone, and a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram exemplarily showing an index information request packet transmitted from a remote device to a mobile phone. It is.
FIG. 16 shows a portable device in an embodiment of a printing apparatus, a cellular phone, and a printing system according to the present invention. An example showing an index information list packet transmitted from the telephone to the printing apparatus. FIG.
FIG. 17 exemplarily shows index information included in the index information list packet of FIG. 16; It is explanatory drawing.
FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary printable data request packet transmitted from the printing apparatus to the mobile phone. It is a clear diagram.
FIG. 19 exemplarily shows a printable data request packet transmitted from a mobile phone to a printing apparatus. It is a clear diagram.
20 exemplarily shows index information included in the index information list packet of FIG. 19; It is explanatory drawing.
[Explanation of symbols]
101 mobile phone
102 Printing device
103 Index information acquisition unit
104 connections
105 Printable data acquisition unit
106 Display section
107 Input section
108 Printing department
109 storage
110 Printable data transmitter
111 connections
112 Index information transmission unit
113 Input section
114 display

Claims (14)

A printing device that is communicably connected to a mobile phone and prints the printable data,
  A connection that can be connected to a mobile phone;
  An index information acquisition unit having a function of acquiring a list of index information related to printable data stored in the mobile phone via the connection unit;
  A display unit that is larger than the display screen of the mobile phone and displays a list of index information;
  An input unit having a function of allowing the user to select at least one index information from a list of index information;
  A printable data acquisition unit having a function of acquiring printable data related to each piece of information selected by the user via the input unit, stored in the mobile phone,
  A printing apparatus comprising: a printing unit that prints the acquired printable data. The display unit includes a function for displaying a list of categories.
  The input unit includes a function that allows the user to select at least one category,
  The index information acquisition unit includes a function of requesting a list of index information related to all printable data belonging to one of the categories selected by the user to the mobile phone when acquiring the list of index information from the mobile phone. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: The index information includes thumbnail information of the corresponding printable data,
  The input unit includes a function of receiving an input for instructing a preview from the user,
  The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit includes a function of displaying thumbnail information as a preview when receiving an input instructing a preview from the input unit. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing unit includes a function of outputting an instruction to erase printable data that has been successfully printed to the mobile phone when printing is normally completed. The input unit further includes a function of accepting an input for instructing a preview from the user,
  The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit further includes a function of displaying a print image of printable data as a preview when receiving an input instructing a preview from the input unit. A connection unit connectable to the printing apparatus according to claim 1;
  A storage unit capable of storing at least one printable data;
  An index information transmission unit having a function of transmitting a list of index information relating to printable data stored therein to the printing apparatus when requested to transmit a list of index information from the printing apparatus;
  A mobile phone comprising: a printable data transmission unit having a function of transmitting printable data to a printing apparatus when the printing apparatus requests transmission of the printable data. When the index information transmission unit is requested to transmit a list of index information from the printing apparatus, if the request includes at least one category information, all printables belonging to any of the category information can be printed. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 6, comprising a function of transmitting a list of index information relating to data to the printing apparatus. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 6, wherein the index information transmitting unit transmits the index information including thumbnail information of the corresponding printable data. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 6, wherein when receiving an instruction to erase printable data from the printing apparatus, the corresponding printable data is erased from the storage unit. A printing apparatus according to claim 1 and a mobile phone according to claim 6. A printing system characterized by comprising A printing system comprising: the printing apparatus according to claim 2; and the mobile phone according to claim 7. A printing system comprising: the printing apparatus according to claim 3; and the mobile phone according to claim 8. A printing system comprising the printing apparatus according to claim 4 and the mobile phone according to claim 9. A printing system comprising: the printing apparatus according to claim 5; and the mobile phone according to claim 6.

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