JP4405030B2 - Print output limiting method, content server, and communication terminal - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a communication terminal device such as a mobile phone, and more particularly to a communication terminal device having a print output function and a content server communicating with the communication terminal device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, mobile phones (including simple mobile phones called PHS) have spread rapidly, and their functions are not limited to the original telephones, but Internet access functions have been added. It is now possible to access various web sites. In particular, access to a website makes it possible to receive various services using a mobile phone. Recently, there are many websites dedicated to mobile phones. The types of websites include, for example, bank transactions, securities transactions, various reservations, provision of entertainment-related information, and other various services.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As one of such websites, a service that distributes an image of a character or the like that can be pasted on a standby screen of a mobile phone for a fee has been started. On the other hand, printers for mobile phones that can be connected to a mobile phone for printing are also being developed.
[0004]
In such a situation, so-called copyrighted material distribution and billing systems become a problem. Conventionally, even if a character image is distributed in a mobile phone having no printer output function, it is used only for display on the mobile phone, so there are few problems. However, as described above, when print output from a mobile phone to a printer can be performed, an image of a character or the like once taken into the mobile phone can be repeatedly output indefinitely. In this case, even if it is a paid service, it is not appropriate in the same billing system as in the past, and it is necessary to be able to perform some restrictions or management regarding the print output for a specific print target.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in this background, and its purpose is to limit the printout of data such as copyrighted works distributed over a network in a communication terminal device such as a mobile phone having a printout function. It is to provide a mechanism that can do this.
[0006]
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method, a content server, and a communication terminal device for realizing such a mechanism.
[0007]
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal device capable of printing out higher-quality image data than an image having a display resolution.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a print output restricting method according to the present invention is a print output restricting method in a distribution destination communication terminal device for contents distributed via a network, and is from only a specific type of communication terminal device. In an accessible server, print attribute information is added to content stored in the server and distributed to the communication terminal device via a network, and the print attribute is received for the received content in the communication terminal device. The number of times that the content can be printed is limited based on the information.
[0009]
By adding print attribute information to content placed on a server accessible only from a specific type of communication terminal device, the communication terminal device limits the number of printable times based on the print attribute information for any content. It becomes possible. That is, the content provider can freely determine the appropriate number of times that printing can be performed according to the content. As a result, it is possible to avoid unlimited printing output in the communication terminal device. In addition, since it is possible to manage the number of times that the distributed content can be printed, it is easy to construct an appropriate billing system.
[0010]
More specifically, the content is described in a markup language, and tag information specifying the printable number of times of the print target is added as the print attribute information in association with the print target in the markup language. The communication terminal device limits the number of times the content can be printed by a browser that interprets the tag information. Alternatively, in association with the content transmitted to the communication terminal device by an HTTP response, the number of printable times of the print target as the print attribute information is specified in the header information, and the communication terminal device includes the print attribute information. Based on this, it is also possible to limit the number of printable times of the print target.
[0011]
The server is preferably arranged on a dedicated network that can be accessed only from the specific type of communication terminal apparatus, but is arranged on the Internet that can be accessed from any communication terminal apparatus by taking predetermined measures. Things are also possible. As an example of the measure, the server determines the type of the communication terminal device based on specific information transmitted from the communication terminal device to the server, and distributes the content only to the specific type of communication terminal device. It is.
[0012]
The content server according to the present invention is a content server accessed from a communication terminal device having a display function and a print function, and stores the contents including documents and / or images distributed via a network, In response to a request for a high-quality image made in the communication terminal device in association with the content transmitted to the communication terminal device, means for receiving the printer type information connected to the communication terminal device from the communication terminal device And means for transmitting high-quality image data corresponding to the printer type information.
[0013]
More specifically, in this content server, print attribute information is added for each print target of content transmitted from the content server to the communication terminal device, and the print attribute information is received by the communication terminal device. It functions to limit the number of times the content can be printed.
[0014]
In the content distribution method according to the present invention, the content to be distributed to the communication terminal device is stored on a server accessible only from the communication terminal device having a specific function for restricting print output, and the number of printable times is limited. Print attribute information is added to the content, and the print attribute information is made to function in the communication terminal device so that the number of times the content is printed is limited by the print attribute information.
[0015]
Furthermore, the communication terminal device according to the present invention is a communication terminal device having a print output function, which receives and displays content via a network and print attribute information attached to the content, based on the print attribute information attached to the content. Control means for limiting the number of printable times, and the control means counts the number of prints each time printing is performed on a print target for which the printable number of times is specified as print attribute information, and the count value is When it is shown that printing has been performed a number of times that can be printed as defined by the print attribute information, the subsequent print output of the print target is prohibited.
[0016]
The communication terminal device preferably includes means for requesting a server for print output of a high-quality image of a specific display image based on the display content of the received content, and the high-quality image received in response to the request. Print out without displaying image data. Further, it is preferable to include means for receiving the printer type information from a printer connected to the communication terminal device, and means for transmitting the printer type information to the server. Furthermore, it is preferable to provide means for displaying the remaining number of printable times for the content to be printed.
[0017]
The print attribute information may be such that the communication terminal apparatus prompts the user to input the number of printable times, and the entered numerical value is used as the number of printable times. This makes it possible for the user to set the number of possible printings as desired by the user, and in the case of a pay-as-you-go billing system, the inconvenience of the user being paid more than necessary is eliminated. The
[0018]
The present invention enables a communication terminal device to print a content based on a function for receiving and displaying the content via a network, a function for printing out the content, and print attribute information given to the content. A print restriction function for restricting the number of times, and the print restriction function updates the printable number of times each time printing is performed on a print target for which the printable number of times is specified as print attribute information. It is also possible to grasp as a computer program that prohibits the subsequent print output of the print target or a recording medium on which this is recorded when the number of times that can be printed is determined.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a mobile phone will be described as an example of the communication terminal device of the present invention (hereinafter also simply referred to as a communication terminal or a terminal). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to terminals having various other communication functions such as game machines, television sets, television set-top terminals, car navigation devices, and the like.
[0020]
First, the configuration of the entire system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The mobile phone 10 as a communication terminal in the present embodiment has a function of connecting a mobile phone group to the Internet 15 and also connects to various web (Web) servers 12 via a dedicated network 14. The dedicated network 14 constitutes a closed network that is isolated from the Internet 15 and cannot be accessed from the open Internet 15. In other words, the dedicated network 14 can be entered only through an access point that can be accessed only from a specific mobile phone. Of course, the mobile phone 10 can also access the website of the Internet 15 via the relay server 16, but the print target of documents, images, etc. (contents) suitable for print output management, which will be described in detail later, is a dedicated network. It is placed on the web server 12 on the 14th side. Thus, the print target can be protected from a device such as a personal computer that cannot restrict the free operation of the content.
[0021]
Note that the web server 12 may be arranged on the Internet 15. In other words, if a mechanism that can be accessed only from a specific type of communication terminal device such as a mobile phone (a device that can perform free file operations, etc.) is provided, it can be placed on the open Internet 15 instead of on a dedicated network. It becomes. An example of the mechanism is to use the “UserAgent: xxx” in the header information of the HTTP request to determine whether or not the communication terminal device can be accessed on the server side. In the following, an example in which the server 12 is placed on the dedicated network 14 will be described for convenience of explanation, but the case where the server 12 is placed on the Internet 15 is substantially the same.
[0022]
The web server 12 is a content server that provides various contents to the mobile phone 10. What is noticed in the present invention as this content is data that can be printed, such as a document or an image. An arbitrary web server 12 is accessed from the mobile phone 10 and, for example, a desired image or document is fetched therefrom, and this is printed on the paper 19 from the printer 18 using the print output function of the mobile phone 10 and output. can do. The printer 18 is a printer dedicated to the mobile phone 10 and is connected to a connection terminal of the mobile phone 10 via a connection cable 17. However, the printer 10 connected to the mobile phone 10 is not necessarily dedicated to the mobile phone, and a normal printer for a personal computer may be connected as long as hardware and software interfaces are prepared.
[0023]
FIG. 2 shows a schematic hardware configuration example of the mobile phone 10. In this configuration, the central processing unit (CPU) 101 controls the entire mobile phone 10. Connected to the CPU 101 are a ROM 105, a nonvolatile storage device 107, a RAM 108, a printer control unit 109, a flat display 122, various keys 131, a communication control unit 133, and an audio processing unit 138.
[0024]
The ROM 105 is a read-only nonvolatile memory and stores various computer programs executed by the CPU 101 and necessary data.
[0025]
The non-volatile storage device 107 is a rewritable storage device and stores various data that the user wants to store in a non-volatile manner. The various data includes downloaded file data in addition to telephone numbers, FAX numbers, e-mail addresses, URLs, and the like. A program that can be upgraded can also be stored in the nonvolatile storage device 107. As the nonvolatile storage device 107, in addition to a static storage medium such as a flash memory, a dynamic recording medium such as various disks may be used depending on the communication terminal.
[0026]
The RAM 108 provides a temporary storage area, a work area, and an area for storing various data necessary for executing the program, which are necessary for the CPU 101 to execute the program.
[0027]
The printer control unit 109 provides a connection interface with the printer 18 of FIG. 1 and controls printing. The print output management itself of the present invention is realized by the CPU 101 executing a computer program stored in the ROM 106 (or the non-volatile storage device 107).
[0028]
The flat display 122 is a device that displays on the screen for informing the user of various information in the mobile phone.
[0029]
The various keys 131 are a numeric keypad and various control keys for the user to input various data and operation instructions to the mobile phone 10.
[0030]
The communication control unit 133 is a part that controls radio communication of voice and data, and is connected to the antenna 135 via the RF unit 134 and performs processing of a radio signal.
[0031]
The audio processing unit 138 is connected to the microphone 136 and the speaker 137 and performs audio input / output processing.
[0032]
In FIG. 2, detailed configurations (for example, a display memory, a display controller, an input / output control unit, etc.) are not shown.
[0033]
FIG. 3 shows a schematic hardware configuration example of the web server 12. The web server 120 is roughly divided into a high-performance data processing unit 120 and a large-capacity data storage unit 126.
[0034]
The data storage unit 126 stores in advance an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) document 127, display image data 128, and print (high quality) image data 129 constituting various contents. In the HTML document 127, image data 128 and 129 are embedded or linked.
[0035]
The data processing unit 120 is connected to the dedicated network 14 (FIG. 1) and transmits / receives data. The printer type determination unit 122 receives the printer type information sent from the mobile phone 10 and determines the printer type. A document processing unit 124 that reads / writes an HTML document 124 stored in the data storage unit 126, an image processing unit 125 that reads / writes, processes image data stored in the data storage unit 126, and the like. It has the control part 123 to control.
[0036]
Now, in the system configuration as described above, the operation relating to the present embodiment will be described below.
[0037]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by both when the printer 18 is connected to the mobile phone 10. When the printer 18 is connected to the mobile phone 10, the mobile phone 10 requests the printer type information from the printer 18 (S11). The printer type information is identification information (for example, a number or a symbol) for identifying the printer's attribute information itself or a combination of the attribute information, such as the resolution of the printer 18, monochrome / color, and the number of colors. . Upon receiving this request (S21), the printer 18 transmits its own printer type information (S22). The mobile phone 10 receives the printer type information (S12) and stores it in the nonvolatile storage device 107 (FIG. 1) (S13).
[0038]
Although an example in which the printer type information is transmitted / received when the printer is connected is shown here, it may be transmitted / received prior to printing.
[0039]
Next, data exchange between the mobile phone 10 and the web server 12 will be described. Data is exchanged between the mobile phone 10 and the web server 12 in accordance with a known HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) protocol. Data transmitted and received by the HTTP protocol is mainly a document described in a markup language such as HTML. However, the present invention can also be applied to other markup languages (for example, XML, SGML, etc.) other than HTML.
[0040]
The mobile phone 10 can access documents on the website using a dedicated web browser installed in the mobile phone 10. In the present embodiment, a print management function as will be described later is incorporated in this web browser.
[0041]
When the user of the mobile phone 10 designates an address (URL) or a site of a specific web server 12 by a predetermined operation, the web browser displays the contents (for example, HTML file) of the specific page of the web server 12 specified thereby. ) Request transfer. In response to this, the server 12 returns the HTML file of the page to the mobile phone 10. In response to this, the browser analyzes the content and displays it on the screen of the mobile phone 10. If an inline image is embedded in this page, the server 243 is also requested for the information. In response to this, the server 12 returns the display image file. In response to this, the browser displays the image at a specified position in the page. When the user designates an anchor point (or hot spot) on a page displayed on the screen, the user further requests information on another page that is the link destination or a location in the page, or jumps to another site. be able to. The above is a general web browsing operation.
[0042]
The operation of the mobile phone 10 and the web server 12 during printing will be further described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Assume that the mobile phone 10 is displaying some content captured from the web server 12. In a paid website, a warning that a fee is charged is given to the user when entering the site. When the user of the mobile phone 10 gives a print instruction to the print target such as the displayed page or image, the process at the time of printing of the mobile phone 10 in FIG. 5 is started. In this example, it is first determined whether the object to be printed is the display image itself or a corresponding high-quality image (S31). This determination method will be described later with a specific example. If it is not a high-quality image, the process proceeds to the printing process in step S34. In the case of printing a high-quality image, it is requested to the web server 12 (S32). At this time, the aforementioned printer type information is also transmitted. The web server 12 receives this request and confirms the printer type (S41). Based on this printer type, high-quality image data matching this is created or selected (S42). Here, “creation” refers to performing processing such as resolution conversion and color number conversion on the base image so as to match the printer type, and “selection” refers to a plurality of printers in advance. One of the types of image data that matches the printer type is selected. The high-quality image data created or selected in this way is transmitted to the mobile phone 10. The mobile phone 10 receives this (S33) and performs a printing process (S34). Naturally, high-quality image data itself Is not displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone 10 and is used only for printing.
[0043]
The content to be printed is assigned a printable number of times n (described later) as a print attribute, and 1 is subtracted from this value when printing is completed (S35). The print attribute stored in the RAM 108 and / or the nonvolatile storage device 107 is updated for the new value of n (S36). A specific example of this update will be described later.
[0044]
When the reduced n value becomes “0” (S37, Yes), subsequent printing of the printing target is prohibited (S38), and this process is terminated. If it is not “0”, step S38 is bypassed and this process is terminated. Specifically, printing can be prohibited by, for example, disabling the “print” item in the menu for selecting a print instruction, or deleting the print item itself from the menu. The specific means for prohibiting printing is not limited to these, and any method may be employed.
[0045]
By the way, if the print target data in which the valid printable number remains is stored in only the volatile RAM 108 and is overwritten or overwritten, the data is stored before the printable number is consumed. It may disappear. In order to prevent such inconvenience, the data disappearance process as shown in FIG. 6 is performed. In this process, first, when it is detected that the print target data is lost (S51, Yes), it is checked whether the printable number n is “1” or more (S52). Otherwise, this process is terminated. If n is “1” or more, the print target data is automatically saved in the nonvolatile storage device 107 (or the user is warned to save) (S53). In this way, it is possible to prevent erasure of print target data in which a valid printable number of times remains without the user's expectation.
[0046]
FIG. 7 shows an example in which print attributes are included in an HTML document. The HTML document is substantially a text file, but has codes called tags, which are interspersed within the page with symbols “<” and “>”. With this tag, in addition to character modification information and layout information, link information can be set. The browser interprets the tag, displays the HTML document on the screen in a format according to the creator's intention, and controls the link.
[0047]
The print attribute can be specified by adding a specific description (for example, print = "n") in tags 71, 72, and 73 in the example of the HTML document in FIG. “Print =“ 3 ”” added to the BODY tag 71 is a printing attribute for the entire HTML document (page), and indicates that printing of the page is permitted up to three times. “PRINTSRC =” in the tags 72 and 73 is a file name (for example, “hiyoko”) corresponding to the display image data (for example, “hiyoko.gif”) designated by the corresponding “IMG SRC =”. .jpg "). However, the high-quality image designation part “PRINTSRC =” is not necessarily required for all “IMG SRC =”. “Print =“ 2 ”” added to the high-quality image designation section (“PRINTSRC =”) in the tags 72 and 73 is a print attribute added to each high-quality image data, and the high-quality image is This indicates that printing can be performed twice. In the present embodiment, the number of printable times of the display image designated by “IMG SRC =” is determined by the designation when the printing attribute is designated in the BODY tag 71. Instead of this, it is also possible to add a print attribute to the display image designation part “IMG SRC =” so as to have a display attribute independent of the page. In this case, for example, “print =“ n ”” is described immediately after “IMG SRC =”.
[0048]
FIG. 8 shows an example in which the print attribute is included in the header information of the HTTP response. In response to the HTTP request from the mobile phone 10, an HTTP response including the requested content is returned from the server 12 to the mobile phone 10. The header information of the HTTP response can include a specific description (for example, “print: n”) that defines the print attribute. In this figure, the part before “content of html” is the header information of the HTTP response, and “Print: 3” added at the end is the description part of the print attribute. Other than this part of the header information is known. When “print: n” is included in the header information, the browser in the mobile phone 10 holds the value in association with the content. Here, the value is called a flag value. This example shows a case where the number of printable times 3 is designated for the returned HTML text document. The same applies when image data is returned. The browser finds the description of “print: n” in the header information, and stores the numerical value specified therein in association with the content as a flag value. When saving the data described with reference to FIG. 6, the flag value is also saved together.
[0049]
FIG. 9A shows an example of the screen of the mobile phone 10 displaying the HTML document of FIG. A portion that does not fit in the screen can be viewed by scrolling the screen by a predetermined operation (for example, operation of an arrow key or scroll key). When printing the entire document (referred to as a page) that is currently displayed, a menu window 81 as shown in FIG. 9B is displayed by a predetermined operation (for example, pressing a menu key), and a menu is displayed by a key operation. Select "Page Print" in the item. In the example shown in the figure, a display of the allowable number of prints “(3 times allowed)” is added to this menu item. This corresponds to the print attribute “print =“ 3 ”” added to the BODY tab 71 of FIG. When this menu selection is confirmed, printing of this document is executed. At this time, an image embedded in the document is also printed out, but the image is a display image with a low resolution. After this printing is completed, the numerical value of the print attribute “print =“ 3 ”” designated in the print tag of the BODY tag 71 in the HTML document of FIG. 7 is decremented from “3” to “2”. If the document is stored in the non-volatile storage device 107, the print attribute is updated. Next, when the menu window 81 is opened, the page printing is “page printing (possible twice)” (not shown). After two additional printouts, this value becomes “0”. In this case, “page printing (possible 0 times)” is made in the menu window 81 opened next time, and this item cannot be selected. Alternatively, the page printing item itself may be deleted from the menu window 81.
[0050]
It is also possible to designate and print only a specific image included in the document, not the entire document. In that case, the menu item “image selection” in the menu window 81 of FIG. 9B is selected. As a result, the first image is focused (highlighted) as shown in FIG. In this example, the focused image is highlighted with a frame 91. The focusing method is not limited to this, and any display form that can recognize that the image is focused can be employed. When a document includes a plurality of images, the focus can be sequentially moved by a key operation.
[0051]
FIG. 10B shows a state where the focus has moved to the next image (at this time, the display image is automatically scrolled so that the focused image appears on the screen). When the menu display operation is performed in a state where the image is focused, a menu window 95 as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed. This is for the user to select “normal printing” for printing a low-resolution display image or “high-quality printing” for printing a high-resolution image. Although not shown, when “high quality printing” is selected, if a separate fee is charged, the fact is displayed and the user's consent is obtained. If no consent is obtained, high-quality printing is cancelled.
[0052]
In the present embodiment, as described above, the printable number of times of normal printing is managed by the print attribute added to the BODY tag, and the printable number of times of “high-quality printing” is specified after the description of “PRINTSRC =”. Managed by the print attribute. For display images that do not have a description of “PRINTSRC =”, the menu item “High Quality Printing” in the menu window 95 is displayed in an undesignated state. Alternatively, the menu item “high quality printing” in the menu window 95 can be hidden, or the menu window 95 itself can be hidden. Also for high-quality printing, after the execution, the printing attribute in the corresponding tag is updated.
[0053]
However, since the high-quality image data has a large data size, if the print attribute is not designated for the high-quality image data, the print output may be performed only once. In this case, when it is desired to print out the high quality image data again, the high quality image data is again transmitted from the server.
[0054]
Further, it is also possible to print out only once for all print targets or a specific print target (for example, a page) if no print attribute is specified. In this case, it is considered that a print attribute of “print =“ 1 ”” is implicitly designated for a print target for which no print attribute is designated. In this case, a print attribute (for example, specifying “print =“ 0 ”” from the beginning) for actively prohibiting print output only for specific content may be provided.
[0055]
On the contrary, it is also possible to prevent printing at all when there is no designation of print attributes for all print targets or specific print targets. In this case, it is considered that a print attribute of “print =“ 0 ”” is implicitly designated for a print target for which no print attribute is designated.
[0056]
Importantly, unlike a general-purpose personal computer or the like, a communication terminal such as a mobile phone 10 usually cannot freely print out any file on a memory regardless of the presence or absence of printing attributes. It is a state. In other words, the present invention manages whether or not printing can be performed and the number of times that printing can be performed on the premise that printing can be performed only on a printing target permitted by a program such as a browser in the mobile phone 10.
[0057]
In the above embodiment, the number of times that printing can be performed is determined by the content provider side. However, as another embodiment, it is possible to specify the number of times that the user can print. That is, a specific printable number of times desired by the user may be designated when the user instructs printing or when high quality image data is requested. For this purpose, a description such as “print =“? ”Is added to the print target as a print attribute. When the browser receives a print instruction for a print target having such print attributes, a message such as “Please enter the desired number of prints” is output to the user as shown in window 97 of FIG. Prompt the user to enter the number of prints allowed. In this example, an example of a high-quality image is shown. If the billing amount varies depending on the number of times, the amount is displayed and notified to the user in advance or each time. This number value is sent to the server side and used as data for billing or the like. Also markup language documents Rewrite “?” Of the “print =“? ”In the above to the input numerical value. Alternatively, this numerical value is managed as the flag value described above. Instead of adding a print attribute such as “print =“? ””, It is also possible to make an inquiry to such a user without a print attribute. In this case, it is equivalent to implicitly adding a print attribute of “print =“? ””.
[0058]
In the present invention, the following various modifications are possible.
[0059]
For example, as an example of the print attribute, the number of printable times has been mainly described, but it may be a character or a symbol indicating whether printing is possible. In addition, the printing attributes are markup language documents Although the example described in the above and the example added to the header information are shown, other methods may be used as long as they can be added to the content to be printed. For example, markup language documents The numerical value may be included in the text other than the tag together with the characters, symbols, and figures indicating the number of printable times. In this case, there is a secondary effect that the number of printable times of each print target can be recognized on the display screen before issuing a print instruction.
[0060]
For at least high-quality images, the server can manage the cumulative number of prints possible for each user. Therefore, it is possible to charge appropriately regardless of whether it is every communication or every certain period (for example, a month). The server can also manage the cumulative number of printable times of all users for a specific high-quality image.
[0061]
The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but specific configuration examples, flowcharts, screen examples, and the like are intended to facilitate understanding of the invention and are intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is not a thing.
[0062]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to restrict | limit the printing output of data, such as a literary work delivered via a network, in communication terminal devices, such as a mobile telephone which has a printing output function. Therefore, it becomes easy to construct an appropriate billing system for the distribution of copyrighted works, and activation of transactions using communication media can be promoted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an entire system of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration example of the mobile phone in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic hardware configuration example of a web server in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing performed by both when a printer is connected to a mobile phone in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the mobile phone and the web server during printing in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a data disappearance process according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a print attribute is included in an HTML document according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example in which print attributes are included in header information of an HTTP response in the embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams (a) and (b) showing an example of a screen of a mobile phone displaying the HTML document of FIG.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing a state in which an image is focused in the embodiment of the present invention. FIGS.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state where a menu window is displayed on the screen of FIG.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Mobile phone
12 Web server
14 Dedicated network
15 Internet
16 Relay server
17 Connection cable
18 Printer
19 paper

Claims (16)

A print output restriction method for content distributed via a network in a destination communication terminal device,
In a server that can be accessed only from a specific type of communication terminal device, content stored in this server and distributed to the communication terminal device via the network is a content made up of a markup language document with an image inserted by an image insertion tag. On the other hand, for each image insertion tag, high-quality image specifying information for specifying a high-quality image for printing corresponding to the image is added, and the number of times that the high-quality image can be printed is added to the high-quality image specifying information. designated as the information,
In the communication terminal device, for each inserted image of the received content , the number of printable high-quality images for printing is limited based on the print attribute information. Print output restriction method. The communication terminal device prints the content by a browser that interprets tag information by decrementing and updating the number of printable times as print attribute information of the high-quality image specifying information each time a high-quality image for printing is printed. 2. The print output limiting method according to claim 1, wherein the possible number of times is managed . Specifies the printable number of the markup language document as the print attribute information in the BODY tag of the markup language document, or, in association with the markup language document to be transmitted to the communication terminal device in the HTTP response, the The markup language document printable count is specified as print attribute information in the header information of the HTTP response , and the communication terminal device limits the markup language document printable count based on the print attribute information. The print output limiting method according to claim 1.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the server is arranged on a dedicated network that can be accessed only from the specific type of communication terminal device.   The server is disposed on the Internet that can be accessed from any communication terminal device, the server determines the type of the communication terminal device based on specific information transmitted from the communication terminal device to the server, and the specific type The print output limiting method according to claim 1, wherein the content is distributed only to the communication terminal device.   The print output restriction method according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal device displays a menu item that allows a user to select “high-quality printing” and “normal printing” for each inserted image.   The communication terminal apparatus displays the menu item of “high quality printing” in the menu in an undesignated state or hides the inserted image without the description of the high quality image specifying information. The print output restriction method according to claim 6. A content server accessed from a communication terminal device having a display function and a print function,
Means for storing content made up of a markup language document in which an image is inserted with an image insertion tag distributed via a network;
For each image insertion tag, high-quality image specifying information for specifying a high-quality image for printing corresponding to the image is added, and the number of printable times of the high-quality image is used as printing attribute information in the high-quality image specifying information. Means to add,
Means for receiving printer type information connected to the communication terminal device from the communication terminal device;
Means for transmitting high-quality image data corresponding to the printer type information in response to a request for a high-quality image made in the communication terminal device accompanying the content transmitted to the communication terminal device;
A content server comprising: In a communication terminal device having a print output function,
Means for receiving and displaying content consisting of a markup language document in which an image is inserted with an image insertion tag via a network;
Control means for limiting the number of printable times of the content based on the print attribute information given to the content,
As the print attribute information, the number of printable times of the high-quality image is specified for the high-quality image specifying information for specifying the high-quality image for printing corresponding to the image added for each image insertion tag,
The control means, the printable number printing on the printing high-quality image designated by counting the number of times of printing each time it is executed, printing the count value of the printable number of times defined by the print attribute information A communication terminal device that prohibits subsequent printing of the high-quality image for printing when it is shown that the operation is performed. Means for requesting a server for a high-quality image for printing a specific image based on the high-quality image specifying information in the received content;
10. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the high-quality image data received in response to the request is printed out without being displayed. Means for receiving printer type information from a printer connected to the communication terminal device;
11. The communication terminal apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising means for transmitting the printer type information to the server.   The communication terminal according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the display unit has a function of displaying a menu item that allows a user to select "high-quality printing" and "normal printing" for each inserted image. apparatus.   The display means displays the menu item of “high quality printing” in the menu in an undesignated state or hides the inserted image without description of the high quality image specifying information. The communication terminal device according to claim 12. 14. The communication terminal device according to claim 9, further comprising means for displaying a remaining printable number of times for the content to be printed. The communication terminal according to any one of claims 9 to 14 , wherein the print attribute information requests the user to input a printable number of times from the communication terminal device, and uses the input numerical value as the printable number of times. apparatus. In a communication terminal device,
A function for receiving and displaying content including a markup language document in which an image is inserted with an image insertion tag via a network;
The ability to print out this content,
A print restriction function for restricting the number of printable times of the content based on print attribute information given to the content,
As the print attribute information, the number of printable times of the high-quality image is added to the high-quality image specifying information for specifying the high-quality image for printing corresponding to the inserted image for each inserted image,
The print restriction function updates the number of printable times each time printing is performed on a high-quality image for printing for which the number of printable times is specified as print attribute information, and the number of printable times determined by the print attribute information is updated. A recording medium that records a computer program that prohibits subsequent printing of a high-quality image for printing when printing is performed.

Images