JP6075364B2 - Printing apparatus and printing output method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printer, a copier, or a printer such as a multi-function machine that combines at least these functions, and a print output method .

  Conventionally, PUSH type printing in which image data is transmitted from an external device such as a PC to a printing device via a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and printing is performed on the printing paper by the printing device is performed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). That is, when the user operates an external device such as a PC, image data can be printed from the printing device.

  However, the conventional printing apparatus can only perform PUSH type printing on the printing apparatus. That is, since the user cannot operate the printing apparatus to print the image data stored in the external apparatus, there is a problem that the expandability of the print target is poor.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a printing apparatus and a print output method with improved operability .

A printing apparatus according to the present invention is a printing apparatus that can be connected to an external apparatus having a folder capable of storing files via a network and has an operation unit including a touch panel, and is stored in the folder of the external apparatus. and that from the list of files to a list screen for receiving selection of a file to be printed by the printing device, the list screen including a button for displaying the print setting screen for receiving input of a print setting, on the touch panel after receiving a first display means for displaying a selection of files to be printed from the list of files displayed on the list screen in response to said button included in the list screen has been selected The print setting screen for accepting at least input relating to double-sided print settings as the print settings is displayed on the touch panel. The external device has a second display means to be displayed on the touch panel and a print setting input to the print setting screen displayed on the touch panel, and then, according to a user operation on the operation unit. And printing means for printing out a selected file among the files stored in the folder based on the print setting received.

According to the present invention, there is an effect that operability can be improved .

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment and a large number of external devices connected to the multifunction peripheral via a communication network. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of an image data management table held by the management server according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the browsing / acquisition management table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of the operation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an initial display (basic screen) displayed on the touch panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a labor-saving display (simple screen) displayed on the touch panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating the operation of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an ID and password request screen displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a folder group displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a list of file names displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an initial display (basic screen) displayed on the touch panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail image list displayed on the touch panel by the display processing unit according to the modification of the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the browsing / acquisition management table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a processing flowchart illustrating a processing procedure until the MFP according to the second embodiment acquires image data.

  Exemplary embodiments of a printing apparatus according to the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiments”) will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The operation condition items of this embodiment will be described using various keys and icons as shown below as examples.

  The present embodiment is a printing apparatus including a communication control device, and includes a copy function, a facsimile (FAX) function, a print function, a scanner function, and an input image (an original image read by the scanner function or an image input by a printer or a FAX function). ) And the function of distributing the received fax document or copy document, and the storage function for storing it in a hard disk built-in, etc., it is applied to a so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) 21 called a multifunction device 21. An example is shown.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the printing apparatus is applied to a multifunction device is described. However, the present invention is not limited to such a multifunction device and may be applied to other electronic devices. As an example of this electronic device, a business office device provided in a business environment such as a copying machine or a facsimile machine can be considered. By applying the printing device to these business office devices, cooperation between devices existing in the office environment can be achieved.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multi-function device 21 according to the present embodiment and a large number of external devices connected to the multi-function device 21 via a communication network. As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-function device 21 is connected to a plurality of external devices (another multi-function device 22, a printer device 23, a facsimile device 24, a scanner 25, a PC (Personal Computer) 26, a digital television 27, Management server 28b etc.). The multi-function device 21 is connected to external devices (management server 28a, notebook PC 33, etc.) via the Internet 12. The multi-function device 21 can process data received from these external devices (for example, data broadcast received by the digital television 27) using the above-described functions.

  Further, the management server 28a is connected to an external device (a car navigation device (hereinafter referred to as “automobile”) 29), a mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as “PHS phone”) via the Internet 12, the mobile phone network 13 and the nearest base station 14. And a game machine 31, a digital camera 32, etc.).

  The external device may be any device that can be connected to a network, and may be a car navigation device 29, a game machine 31, a digital camera 32, a notebook PC 33, or the like other than the mobile phone 30. As other examples of the external device, although not shown, a wristwatch, a vending machine, a water meter, a gas meter, or the like may be used. These external devices transmit and receive information via the network such as the Internet 12 or the mobile phone network 13. Further, these external devices may be connected to and communicate with a mobile phone or the like, or may be communicated by a unique communication means mounted in each device. The external device according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit and stores image data in the storage unit.

  Although not shown, a server device such as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server, or a distribution server may be connected to the network. In addition, the distribution server can communicate with an electronic mail transmission / reception, file transfer, or a fax machine outside the office via a public network. Through these server devices, the multifunction device 21 can transmit and receive various information.

  As shown in FIG. 1, since the multifunction device 21 is connected to a network, it can communicate with external devices (including business office devices) such as a PC 26 and a notebook PC 33, and a storage device such as a hard disk. With the built-in, it has evolved into a so-called network multifunction device and can meet the various needs of users.

  The management servers 28a and 28b are servers that manage information transmitted and received between the external device and the multifunction device 21, and may include a function as a Web server. These management servers may be connected in the same LAN 11 as the multifunction machine 21 as the management server 28b, or may be connected via a public network such as the Internet 12 as in the management server 28a. good. Further, the number of management servers connected via the network is not limited. One or a plurality of management servers may be used.

  In addition, the management servers 28a and 28b are general-purpose computers and have an image management function for managing image data. The image management function is, for example, a program installed via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a network. Then, the program is executed by the CPUs of the management server 28a and the management server 28b, thereby executing functions to be described later.

  The management servers 28a and 28b manage image data stored in external devices that are not always connected to a network (for example, the mobile phone network 13 or the Internet 12). In the present embodiment, when these external devices (for example, the car navigation device 29, the game machine 31, the digital camera 32, and the notebook PC 33) are connected to the mobile phone network 13 or the Internet 12, the management server 28a In synchronization with the apparatus, the image data held by the external apparatus is stored in the storage unit of the management server 28a. That is, the management server 28a centrally manages all the image data stored in these external devices. The management may be performed not by the management server 28a but by the management server 28b.

  The management servers 28a and 28b manage the information of the managed image data using the image data management table. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the image data management table held by the management servers 28a and 28b. As shown in FIG. 2, the image data management table manages the creation date of image data, the file storage location where the image data is stored, and the number of pages in association with each other. Then, the management server 28a and the management server 28b perform a process of transmitting image data in response to the image data transmission request from the multifunction device 21.

  In addition, it has already been performed that the user operates the personal computer 26 shown in FIG. However, in recent years, with the improvement of interface technology in multifunction peripherals, there is an increasing demand for operating the multifunction peripherals and using image data stored in other external devices. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user operates the multi-function device 21 and requests the external device such as the personal computer 26 to output image data from the multi-function device 21 so that the external device becomes a print target. Obtaining image data. As a result, image data not stored in the multifunction device 21 can be used for printing or the like. As described above, the technology in which the multifunction device 21 actively requests the external apparatus to output image data is a feature that is not used in the conventional multifunction device.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the multifunction device 21. As shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the multi-function device 21 has a configuration in which a controller 310 and an engine unit (Engine) 360 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 310 is a controller that controls the entire MFP 21 and controls drawing, communication, and input from the operation unit 320. The engine unit 360 is a printer engine that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a monochrome plotter, a one-drum color plotter, a four-drum color plotter, a scanner, or a fax unit. The engine unit 360 includes an image processing unit such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine unit such as a plotter.

  The controller 310 includes a CPU 311, a north bridge (NB) 313, a system memory (MEM-P) 312, a south bridge (SB) 314, a local memory (MEM-C) 317, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). 316 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 318, and the north bridge (NB) 313 and the ASIC 316 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 315. The MEM-P 312 further includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 312b.

  The CPU 311 performs overall control of the multi-function peripheral 21, has a chip set including the NB 313, the MEM-P 312, and the SB 314, and is connected to other devices via this chip set.

  The NB 313 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 311 to the MEM-P 312, SB 314, and AGP 315, and includes a memory controller that controls read / write to the MEM-P 312, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

  The MEM-P 312 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for developing programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 312a and a RAM 312b. The ROM 312a is a read-only memory used as a program / data storage memory, and the RAM 312b is a writable / readable memory used as a program / data development memory, a printer drawing memory, or the like.

  The SB 314 is a bridge for connecting the NB 313 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB 314 is connected to the NB 313 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit and the like are also connected to the PCI bus.

  The ASIC 316 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing having hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge for connecting the AGP 315, the PCI bus, the HDD 318, and the MEM-C 317. The ASIC 316 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC 316, a memory controller that controls the MEM-C 317, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data using hardware logic. Access Controller) and a PCI unit that performs data transfer between the engine unit 360 via the PCI bus. The ASIC 316 is connected to an FCU (Fax Control Unit) 330, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 340, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 350 via a PCI bus.

  A MEM-C 317 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 318 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. It is.

  The AGP 315 is a bus interface for a graphics accelerator card that has been proposed to speed up graphics processing, and speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P 312 with high throughput. .

  The touch panel included in the operation unit 320 according to the present embodiment may be a touch panel of a device having each function of a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a printer, or the like, or a touch panel of a multi-function machine having duplicate functions. It may be.

  Under the control of the CPU 311 shown in FIG. 3, recognition, display, and the like of pressing of a key or the like of the operation unit 320 (including the touch panel 600 described below) are performed.

  In addition, a browsing / acquisition management DB (Data Base) 10 is constructed in the ROM 212a. This browsing / acquisition management DB 10 is configured by a browsing / acquisition management table having a layout as shown in FIG. 4, and is a DB for managing folder data that can be browsed or acquired for each user. Further, the ROM 212a stores a program for executing steps (S1 to S8) described later.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration realized by the above-described program in the multi-function device 21 according to the first embodiment. As shown in the figure, the MFP 21 includes a communication processing unit 501, an image acquisition unit 502, a thumbnail generation unit 503, a display processing unit 504, a selection unit 505, and a printing unit 506.

  The communication processing unit 501 performs data transmission / reception processing with an external device via a network (LAN 11, the Internet 12, and the mobile phone network 13) in accordance with an image acquisition unit 502 described later.

  The image acquisition unit 502 includes an image data request unit 511, a folder data request unit 512, and a folder data acquisition unit 513, and acquires image data stored in the storage unit of the external device. The image acquisition unit 502 requests the communication processing unit 501 to receive image data when acquiring image data.

  The image data request unit 511 makes a transmission request for image data to an external device. As a result, the communication unit 501 transmits the transmission request to the external device. Then, the image acquisition unit 502 allows the image acquisition unit 502 to acquire image data from the requested external device. When image data is managed in folder units in the storage unit of the external device, if the multi-function device 21 makes a transmission request for image data in folder units, the image data is transmitted by the folder data request unit 512 shown below. Make a request.

  The folder data request unit 512 makes a transmission request for image data contained in each folder to an external device. As a result, the communication unit 501 transmits the transmission request to the external device. In the present embodiment, the folder data request unit 512 makes a transmission request for image data of a folder at a timing when the user designates the folder. In the present embodiment, the timing of the transmission request is not limited to such timing, and the transmission request may be made in advance before the user specifies the folder.

  The folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires image data and folder data included in the folder from the external device that has responded to the transmission request of the folder data request unit 512 via a reception process by the communication unit 501.

  A thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data from the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 502.

  The display processing unit 504 performs processing for displaying the generated thumbnail image data on a touch panel of the operation unit 320 described later. Details of the display mode will be described later.

  A selection unit 505 selects image data to be printed. In the present embodiment, when the user selects a thumbnail image displayed on the operation unit 320, the selection unit 505 selects image data that is a generation source of the thumbnail image selected by the user as a print target. To do. The selection unit 505 may select a plurality of image data as print targets. The selection unit 505 may select one or more image data stored in the storage unit of the external device for each external device.

  The printing unit 506 performs processing for printing the image data selected by the selection unit 505. In addition, when a plurality of image data is selected by the selection unit 505, the printing unit 506 performs a process of printing the selected plurality of image data at once.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the browsing / acquisition management DB 10 manages a user ID, a password, and a folder that can be browsed / acquired in association with each other. The field “browsing / acquiring folder” indicates a folder that the user can browse / acquire (image data). Further, in this field, an external device connected via a network may be set as a folder that can be browsed and acquired. Further, a predetermined folder in the external device may be set in this field as a folder that can be viewed and acquired. Further, a URL can be set in the field. As a result, the site information indicated by the set URL can be browsed and acquired as a folder or image data.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the user identified by “user 001” can browse and acquire (including printing) the site “http://test.jp/” and is held in a digital camera, a PC, or the like. The image data can be viewed and acquired.

  FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of the operation unit 320 of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the operation unit 320 has a numeric keypad (enter key) 601, a start key 602, a clear / stop key 603, a program key 604, a reset / preheat key 605, an interrupt key 606, a test, centering on the touch panel 600. Each part such as a copy key 607 and a setting key 608 is provided.

  Among these, the touch panel 600 displays an icon or the like indicating an operation condition such as an output color or an output paper size of the printing apparatus, and an operation capable of accepting the setting of the operation condition by pressing the icon by the user. A liquid crystal display as a part of the display unit. Note that a detection circuit for detecting that the touch panel 600 has been pressed and a coordinate detection method are well known, and thus the description thereof is omitted. A numeric keypad (enter key) 601 has both a numeric keypad for inputting a numeric value such as the number of copies and an enter key function for confirming the entered numeric value. A start key 602 is pressed to start copying. A clear / stop key 603 is used to cancel an input numerical value or to interrupt or stop copying. A program key 604 is a key for registering and calling frequently used settings. A reset / preheat key 605 cancels the set content and puts the machine into a preheat state when pressed for about 1 second or longer. With the trial copy key 607, it is possible to confirm the finish of one copy of a completed copy in order to prevent miscopying. A setting key 608 is a key for changing an initial setting value or an operation condition in accordance with a use condition.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a basic screen displayed on the touch panel 600. This basic screen displays the number of originals read in the memory, the number of copies set (number of copies), the number of copies (number of copies), and a display area 80a for displaying messages such as operation status, operation procedure, and errors. Is displayed. Also, on the basic screen, the first touch panel area 80b (display area 80b) related to the operation on the document is displayed on the lower left side of the display area 80a, and the paper size, scaling, etc. A second touch panel area 80c (display area 80c) related to the operation of taking the image is displayed. Further, below the display areas 80b and 80c, a display area 80d for displaying a function name during printing, a finishing time, an error state of the entire printing apparatus, and the like is displayed. Further, on the upper side of the display area 80a, a tab 80e indicating that the job is one job is displayed on the left side, and a document storage key and a setting content confirmation key, which are the functions of the entire tab represented by the tab 80e, are displayed on the right side. A touch panel area 80f (display area 80f) is displayed. Note that the classification of the first to third touch panel areas 80b, 80c, and 80f is merely a classification for convenience, and the touch panel 600 can display across the touch panel areas 80b, 80c, and 80f.

  Among these, in particular, the display area 80b is an output color receiving area 82 for receiving an output color selection, whether the original image is a character or a photograph, a mixture thereof, or other original types (copy originals) A document type receiving area 83 for accepting selection of whether it is a light original, a density accepting area 84 for accepting setting of copy output density, setting of the document size and ADF (automatic document feeder), and printing to the printing apparatus It is constructed by a special manuscript receiving area 85 for receiving setting of the manuscript setting direction.

  On the other hand, the display area 80c is a paper size receiving area 86 for receiving the selection of the size of the output paper, and a standard scaling for receiving a selection such as a normal scaling or a standard scaling to a predetermined size of the output paper from a predetermined read original size A receiving area 87; a duplex receiving area 88 that accepts selection of single-sided printing or duplex printing for each read document and output paper; a post-processing accepting area 89 that accepts selection of post-processing such as sorting, stacking, stapling, and punching; This is constructed by a detailed function receiving area 90 that receives setting of function items such as zooming and editing copy. The second display item from the left in the paper size receiving area 86 will be described as an example. A rectangle drawn with a black line represents a key, and the remaining amount of paper and the output direction of the paper are indicated on this key. An icon and characters “A4” are displayed. Taking the first display item from the left in the fixed magnification reception area 87 as an example, the rectangle drawn by this black line also represents the key, and the character “same size” is displayed on the key. Yes. Further, for the first display item from the left in the double-sided reception area 88, a black rectangular line represents a key, and an icon representing a function for copying a single-sided original on both sides is displayed.

  Further, in the display area 80d, the user selects when browsing the folder data (including file data) stored in each external device shown in FIG. 1 or acquiring the file data from the external device. An “electronic document” button 99 is displayed.

  As described above, a rectangle drawn with a black line displayed on FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 described later represents a key, and an icon or a character, or both an icon and a character are displayed on the key. . Hereinafter, the parts described as “key”, “character”, and “icon” refer to the items described above unless otherwise specified. In addition, when a key is simply displayed, this also includes a character displayed on the key, an icon, or both unless otherwise specified.

  Now, the touch panel 600 according to the present embodiment can change the display screen display from the initial display (basic screen) as shown in FIG. 8 to the abbreviated display (simple screen) according to the user's preference. Thus, it is possible to display only the function keys frequently used by the user in advance, the operation procedure, and explanations such as error displays.

  This simple screen is simplified by simplifying the basic screen as much as possible, and by selecting the input key displayed there (pressing the key), a pop-up screen appears or the screen display is changed. The next item related to the item is displayed, and an instruction input to the apparatus is performed by selecting an input key therein. This simple screen is a display suitable for a user who wants easy operation and easy understanding of the display.

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to switch from the basic screen shown in FIG. 7 to the simple screen shown in FIG. 8, or from the simple screen shown in FIG. 8 to the display of the basic screen shown in FIG. The simple screen shown in FIG. 8 includes a display area 80a, a display area 80b, a display area 80c, and a display area 80d of the basic screen shown in FIG. 7 in order of a display area 100a, a display area 100b, a display area 100c, and a display area, respectively. The screen corresponds to 100d. Further, the display area corresponding to the display area 80e and the display area 80f in the basic screen is omitted from the simple screen.

  Among these, in the display area 100a, a display area 81 of the number of originals, the number of sheets set (the number of copies), and the number of copies (the number of copies) displayed in the display area 80a is arranged horizontally in the upper part of 100a. It is displayed as a display area 101 that is a large character. Further, as shown in the display area 100a, the display of messages such as operation procedures and errors is larger than the display area 80a. As described above, the reason why the display area 100a is arranged horizontally is to secure the display area even if the message characters displayed in the display area 100a are enlarged.

  The display area 100b includes an output color receiving area 102 for receiving an output color selection, a document setting direction receiving area 105 for receiving setting of a setting direction of a document set on the image forming apparatus, and a screen capable of inverting the screen color. It is constructed by the color inversion key 111.

  Among these, there are three keys displayed in the output color reception area 102, whereas there are five keys displayed in the output color reception area 82 of FIG. 7 corresponding to the same area. The display of two keys (two-color key and single-color key) is deleted. Since these two keys are rarely used by users who perform general operations, the display is deleted on the simple screen. On the other hand, the remaining three keys are frequently used by any user, so they can be displayed on the simple screen, and the display area for the two keys is deleted, so that the keys can be compared to the basic screen. To make it easier to operate.

  The function of the document setting direction reception area 105 is one of the functions displayed when the special document setting key in the special document reception area 85 displayed in the display area 80b shown in FIG. It consists of two keys, a vertical set and a horizontal set. These two keys are functions that are necessary even for users who do not need complicated function settings (functions that are necessary for any operation), and therefore are displayed on the simple screen independently as the display area 105. Is displayed. On the other hand, among the functions displayed when the special document setting key in the special document receiving area 85 is pressed, functions that do not correspond to the document setting direction receiving area 105 (items other than the vertical setting and the horizontal setting) are generally used. Since it is not always a necessary function when performing a typical operation, it is not necessary for a user who wants simplicity or easy understanding of the display, so that the display is not performed. For the screen color inversion key 111, when this key is selected, the display color of the screen is inverted. That is, since the display is switched so that the blackish portion is whitish and the whitish portion is blackish, the screen display is easy to see and operate even for a user who feels that it is difficult to see in the non-inverted display.

  An abbreviated display of the display area 80c of the touch panel 600 is shown as a display area 100c in FIG. The display area 100c is a sheet size receiving area 106 for receiving the selection of the output sheet size, and a fixed magnification receiving area for receiving selections such as the same magnification or the fixed magnification from the predetermined read document size to the predetermined output paper size. 107, a double-sided reception area 108 that accepts selection of single-sided printing or double-sided printing for each read document and output paper, and a post-processing acceptance area 109 that accepts selection of post-processing such as sorting, stacking, stapling, and punching. Yes.

  The paper size reception area 106 includes three items: an automatic paper selection key for automatically selecting a paper size, a paper selection key for expanding a screen for arbitrarily selecting a paper size, and an area for displaying a result of the selected paper size. ing. Although operation setting is not necessarily required for selecting the paper size, it is a function that is relatively frequently used by any user. Therefore, first, on the simple screen of FIG. 8, only three items are displayed as described above in order to enlarge the keys and characters and make it easy to select the paper size. If you do not use paper size selection, you only need to press the automatic paper selection key. If you want to use paper size selection, press the paper selection key, and the size selection result is displayed in the display area to the right of the paper selection key. Is displayed.

  Further, the standard size change reception area 107, the double-sided reception area 108, and the post-processing reception area 109 of the simple screen in FIG. 8 are the standard size change reception area 87, the double-side reception area 88, and the post-processing reception area of the basic screen in FIG. 89, but the number of keys displayed in the standard scaling reception area 107 is one less than that in the standard scaling reception area 87, and two keys are displayed in the double-sided reception area 108 compared to the double-sided reception area 88. The area 109 has five fewer than the post-processing reception area 89, and the number of keys displayed in each display area is deleted. The basic size fixed magnification reception area 87, double-sided reception area 88, and post-processing reception area 89 are display areas in which the user can pre-assign desired functions to each key, and are used in the same way on simple screens. The user can assign desired functions. The number of keys that can be assigned is small, but users who use the simple screen often use few functions (functions that need to be assigned), so there is no shortage of operations. . Accordingly, only the keys of the functions necessary for the user can be displayed in a large and easy-to-use manner in the fixed magnification reception area 107, the double-side reception area 108, and the post-processing reception area 109 on the simple screen.

  Further, the display area 80e, the display area 80f, and the detailed function reception area 90 are not displayed on the simple screen of FIG. 8 with respect to the basic screen of FIG. Since the functions displayed in these areas are not necessarily functions necessary for basic function setting, display is not performed, and other display areas are secured using the remaining areas.

  Further, the display area 80d in FIG. 7 and the display area 100d in FIG. 8 are not changed in display between the basic screen and the simple screen. This part is a display related to the entire device, and is a part that also displays important errors. However, since the operation is not particularly required in the normal state, the display is not changed between the basic screen and the simple screen. Further, the “electronic document” key 99 is displayed in the display area 100d on the simple screen as in the case of the basic screen, and folder data can be viewed and acquired not only from the basic screen but also from the simple screen.

  Next, a method for acquiring folder data from each external device using the multifunction device 21 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15 (browsing is omitted). FIG. 9 is a process flow diagram illustrating a processing procedure for acquiring image data and folder data of the multifunction peripheral 21. Hereinafter, the screens of FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described as main screens.

  Normally, as shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, the multifunction device 21 displays the “electronic document” key 99 on the main screen displayed on the touch panel 600, and can browse or acquire folder data. (Step S1). In this state, when the user presses the “electronic document” key 99, the multifunction device 21 displays an ID and password request screen as shown in FIG. 10 on the touch panel 600 (step S2). As a result, the folder data that can be browsed or acquired by the user in each external device is restricted, or the user can browse or acquire the folder data stored in the same external device. Folder data can be restricted.

  Next, when the user inputs his / her ID and password using the numeric keypad 601 or the like, the multi-function device 21 searches the table shown in FIG. 4 based on the ID and password to limit the user's browsing or acquisition. Is authenticated (step S3). If the multifunction device 21 determines that the authentication has failed (step S3: No), the process returns to step S1. When the multifunction device 21 determines that the authentication is successful (step S3: Yes), after performing the login process, the display processing unit 504 displays the screen illustrated in FIG.

  Next, the multifunction device 21 displays a folder of image data that can be browsed / acquired as shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel 600, and then accepts a folder selection from the user (step S4).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a folder selection reception screen displayed on the touch panel 600 by the display processing unit 504. As shown in FIG. 11, the display processing unit 504 displays a folder (including an external device connected to the network or a folder of the external device) in which the user can browse and acquire image data. Also, the display processing unit 504 displays the name of the external device, the directory name of the external device, and the like as the folder name as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the display processing unit 504 also displays an external device that is not always connected to the network, such as the digital camera 32, or a folder of the external device. This can be realized because the management server 28a and the like manage the image data of the digital camera 32 and the like for each external device. Then, when displaying the folder name, the display processing unit 504 displays not the folder name in the management server 28a but the name of the external device managed by the management server 28a. Thereby, when the user browses / acquires the image data, it is easy to determine which folder is stored.

  Here, a case where user A performs an acquisition process will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for acquiring image data stored in a folder.

  When the user A selects two desired folder icons “printer / a” and “mobile phone” in FIG. 11, the folder data request unit 512 of the multi-function device 21 stores the folder data “a”. The printer apparatus 23 is requested to transmit the folder data “a” (step S11). Along with the processing in step S11, the folder data request unit 512 requests the management server 28a storing the folder data “mobile phone” to transmit the folder data “mobile phone” (step S12).

  As a result, the printer device 23 transmits the folder data “a” to the multifunction device 21 (step S13). Then, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the transmitted folder data “a”.

  In addition, the management server 28a transmits the folder data “mobile phone” to the multifunction device 21 (step S14). Then, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the transmitted folder data “mobile phone”. Thereby, the process for acquiring the folder data between the multifunction device 21 and the external device is completed.

  Returning to FIG. 9, the folder data acquisition unit 513 of the multi-function peripheral 21 acquires the folder data “a” from the printer device 23 and also acquires the folder data “mobile phone” from the management server 28a (step S5).

  Next, the thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data of all the file data in the acquired folder data “a” and “mobile phone” (step S6). Then, the display processing unit 504 displays a thumbnail image as shown in FIG. 13 on the touch panel 600, thereby accepting the selection of the thumbnail image from the user (step S7).

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel 600. As shown in FIG. 13, the display processing unit 504 displays the file name and the creation date of the image data for each thumbnail image data. These data are assumed to be acquired from the external device by the folder data acquisition unit 513. When the user selects a thumbnail image, the display processing unit 504 displays a check mark (for example, a check mark 1301) indicating that the thumbnail has been checked. Then, the selection unit 505 selects image data that is a generation source of the thumbnail image selected by the user as a print target.

  Further, the number next to the check mark of the thumbnail image in FIG. 13 indicates the number of copies of the image data to be printed. In this way, the user can arbitrarily change the number of copies to be printed. The information displayed for each thumbnail image is not limited to these, and the number of pages at the time of printing may be displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the display processing unit 504 displays a list of selected image data in the “Selected Document” column 1302. In the “Selected Document” column 1302, a thumbnail of the selected image data and a page information display column 1303 are displayed. In this page information display field 1303, the page number of the displayed thumbnail, the total number of pages, and a direction key for changing the display page are displayed. When the user presses the direction key, the display processing unit 504 displays the thumbnail image of the destination page in the “Selected Document” field 1302 and the page number in the page information display field 1303. To change. If the user presses the “Remove” button 1304 while the display processing unit 504 is displaying an arbitrary thumbnail image, the selection unit 505 displays the image data from which the thumbnail image is generated as a print target. Deselect from. The display processing unit 504 displays a display mode change button 1305. When the user presses a display mode change button 1305, the display processing unit 504 changes whether to display a thumbnail image or a file name list. The screen example shown in FIG. 13 is an example when a thumbnail image is displayed. Next, an example in which a file name list is displayed will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a file name list displayed on the touch panel 600. As shown in FIG. 14, the display processing unit 504 displays, for each image data, a check mark indicating whether or not it has been selected, the number of copies, the file name, and the creation date and time. The other displayed information is the same as that of the screen example shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 9, when the user selects a desired thumbnail from the screen shown in FIG. 13 or 14 and selects the “OK” button, the display processing unit 504 is displayed on the touch panel 600 as shown in FIG. 15. A main screen is displayed (step S8). On this main screen, an “electronic document” key 99 ′ whose display mode (for example, the color of the key) has changed is displayed so that the user can recognize that electronic data has been acquired. Subsequently, when printing the acquired electronic data, the user selects an output sheet, selects a print color, etc., as in the main screen shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and performs normal printing. Set the same as the setting. As a result, the printing unit 506 can print out the main image data that is image data related to the thumbnail image selected by the user.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, print target data can be increased by performing PULL-type printing in which image data is acquired from the outside of the multifunction device 21 and printed.

  In addition, by generating thumbnail image data of image data acquired from the outside and allowing the user to select the print target, even if there are many image data (main image data) that can be acquired from the outside, it is organized. Can be printed out.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, even when different screens are displayed on the touch panel 600, various screens (FIGS. 7 and 8) are displayed by always displaying the “electronic document” key 99. ) To the image acquisition screen shown in FIG. 10, the user operability can be improved.

  In addition, the image data according to the present embodiment is not limited to general image data such as a figure, a graph, and photographic data, but also includes a document file and the like. Furthermore, the image data may include a presentation file or the like. Further, the image data may be a combination of figures, graphs, photographs, documents, and the like. The format of the image data is not only the format of the image data such as “JPEG”, but also a document file format such as “DOC”, a presentation file format such as “PPT” or a spreadsheet software format As long as the file format is a print target.

  Even if the file format of the image data is a document file format or a presentation file format, the multi-function device 21 is not limited to whether or not the image data is stored in the external device, and thumbnail image data indicating the first page of the image data. Is displayed on the touch panel 600. Similarly to the above-described processing, when the multifunction device 21 accepts the selection of the thumbnail image data from the user, the image data print processing in the document file format or the presentation file format indicated by the thumbnail image data. I do.

  Moreover, it is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, The various deformation | transformation which is illustrated below is possible.

(Modification of the first embodiment)
In the above-described first embodiment, when the folder data request unit 512 requests transmission of a plurality of folder data, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the plurality of folder data, and the display processing unit 504 A list of thumbnail images generated from image data stored in multiple folder data was displayed. However, the first embodiment is not limited to the display method described above. Therefore, in the modification of the first embodiment, a display example of different folders will be described. Note that the configuration of the multi-function device 21 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

  In this modification, the display processing unit 504 displays the display screen shown in FIG. Then, touch panel 600 accepts only one folder selection. When the user selects one folder from these folders, the selected folder data is acquired by the above-described processing of the folder data request unit 512 and the folder data acquisition unit 513. Then, after the thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data from the image data in the folder, the display processing unit 504 displays a list of thumbnail images in the folder.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail image list displayed on the touch panel 600 by the display processing unit 504. As shown in FIG. 16, the display processing unit 504 displays image data stored in a folder selected by the user and a list of folders existing in the folder. When the user selects the displayed folder, the display processing unit 504 performs the above-described processing to display the folder and the image data in the selected folder. In other words, in the present modification, the display processing unit 504 changes a folder to be displayed so that it moves within the tree in a folder group having a tree structure including a plurality of external devices.

  When the user selects image data from the screen shown in FIG. 16, the display processing unit 504 displays the “Selected Document” field shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 of the first embodiment, A thumbnail image of the selected image data is displayed. The selected image data is retained even when processing for changing a folder is performed. Thus, the user can select image data to be printed from a plurality of external devices.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the thumbnail image data is generated by the multi-function device 21, but the present invention is not limited to this. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example in which a thumbnail is generated by an external device will be described.

  In the present embodiment, an external device that can generate thumbnail image data, such as the digital camera 32, generates thumbnail image data from the image data stored in the external device. In the case of an external device that is not always connected to the network, when the external device is connected to the network, the external device generates thumbnail image data together with the original image data to the management server 28a. Send.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that there is an apparatus that can generate thumbnail image data even in an external apparatus that is always connected to the network, such as the printer apparatus 23 and the facsimile apparatus 24.

  In the case of an external device that does not generate thumbnail image data, such as the car navigation device 29 or the notebook PC 33, the external device transmits image data to the management server 28a. Then, the management server 28a generates thumbnail image data from the received image data, and manages the thumbnail image data together with the image data. Note that in the case of an external device that does not have such a function of generating thumbnail image data, the same processing procedure as that described in the first embodiment is performed, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In addition, a browsing / acquisition management DB (Data Base) 1700 different from that of the first embodiment is constructed in the ROM 212a of the management servers 28a and 28b in order to manage thumbnail image data.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the browsing / acquisition management table of the browsing / acquisition management DB 1700. As shown in FIG. 17, the browsing / acquisition management table manages the creation date, the thumbnail storage location, the file storage location, and the number of pages of the file in association with each other. When the management server 28a holds such a table, it is possible to transmit thumbnail image data and image data from which thumbnail image data is generated in response to a request from a multifunction peripheral or the like.

  FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multifunction machine 1800 according to the second embodiment. The MFP 21 according to the first embodiment described above is different from the MFP 21 in that the configuration is changed to an image acquisition unit 1801 that is different in processing from the image acquisition unit 502. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The image acquisition unit 1801 includes an image data request unit 1811, a folder data request unit 1812, a folder data acquisition unit 1814, a thumbnail request unit 1813, and a thumbnail acquisition unit 1815, and thumbnail image data and thumbnail image data from an external device. The image data that is the generation source is acquired.

  The thumbnail request unit 1813 performs processing for requesting the external device to transmit thumbnail image data. If image data is managed in units of folders in the storage unit of the external device, if a transmission request for thumbnail images is made in units of folders to the external device, a transmission request is sent by the folder request unit 512 shown below I do.

  The thumbnail acquisition unit 1815 acquires thumbnail image data included in the folder from an external device that responds to the transmission request from the thumbnail request unit 1813.

  The folder data request unit 1812 makes a transmission request for thumbnail image data included in each folder to the external device.

  The folder data acquisition unit 1814 acquires image data and folder data included in the folder from an external device that has responded to the transmission request from the folder data request unit 1812.

  The image data request unit 1811 makes a transmission request to the external device for image data that is a generation source of thumbnail image data selected by the user. Accordingly, the image acquisition unit 1801 can acquire image data that is a generation source of thumbnail image data.

  Next, a processing procedure until the MFP 1800 according to the present embodiment acquires image data from each external device will be described. FIG. 19 is a processing flowchart showing a processing procedure until the multifunction device 1800 acquires image data. In this processing procedure, a case will be described in which the management server 28a is the device that transmits and receives data to and from the multifunction device 1800. Note that the login process is the same as in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  First, the display processing unit 504 displays a folder of image data that can be browsed and acquired as shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel 600, and then accepts a folder selection from the user (step S1901).

  Next, when a folder selection is received from the user, the folder data request unit 512 outputs a transmission request for the selected folder data to the management server 28a having the folder (step S1902).

  Then, the management server 28a receives the folder data transmission request from the MFP 1800 (step S1911). In the management server 28a, the thumbnail image of the image data in the folder is generated as described above.

  Next, the management server 28a transmits the folder data corresponding to the received transmission request (thumbnail image data in the folder and information on the folder included in the folder) to the multifunction device 1800 (step S1912). .

  Then, the folder data acquisition unit 1814 of the multifunction device 1800 acquires the folder data transmitted from the management server 28a (step S1903). Note that the folder data includes folder information included in the folder and thumbnail image data generated from the image data stored in the folder.

  Next, the display processing unit 504 displays a thumbnail image as shown in FIG. 13 on the touch panel 600, thereby accepting selection of a thumbnail image from the user (step S1904).

  Then, when the user selects a desired thumbnail from the screen shown in FIG. 13 or 14 and selects an “OK” button, the image data requesting unit 1811 generates an image from which the selected thumbnail image data is generated. A data transmission request is made to the management server 28a (step S1905).

  Next, the management server 28a receives the image data transmission request from the MFP 1800 (step S1913).

  Then, the management server 28a transmits the image data corresponding to the received transmission request to the multi function device 1800 (step S1914).

  Next, the image acquisition unit 1801 of the multifunction device 1800 acquires image data that is a source of generation of the searched thumbnail image from the management server 28a (step S1906).

  Then, the display processing unit 504 displays a main screen as shown in FIG. 15 on the touch panel 600 (step S1907). This makes it possible to print image data.

  By performing the processing procedure described above, it is possible to access and print image data stored in the storage unit of the external device. In the present embodiment, processing similar to that performed by the management server 28a shown in FIG. 19 is also performed for an external device that is always connected to the network, such as the printer device 23 and the facsimile device 24. Description is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, after transmission / reception of thumbnail image data between the multifunction device 1800 and the external device, transmission / reception of image data from which the thumbnail image data selected by the user is generated is performed. By performing such processing, the amount of data to be transmitted / received is reduced, so that the load on the network is reduced and a list of thumbnail images can be quickly displayed on the multifunction device 1800 in response to a user request. It becomes possible.

  In the second embodiment described above, when the thumbnail image data is transmitted from the external apparatus and the user selects the thumbnail image in the multifunction device 1800, the multifunction device 1800 generates the thumbnail image. The original image data is acquired from the external device. However, the present invention is not limited to such an image data acquisition procedure. For example, before the multifunction peripheral displays thumbnail image data, the thumbnail image data and the image data from which the thumbnail image data is generated are simultaneously displayed. You may acquire from an external device.

  Further, the print processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. In addition, the print processing program executed by the multifunction peripheral according to the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

  Further, the print processing program according to the above-described embodiment may be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  The print processing program executed by the MFP according to the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units. As actual hardware, the CPU reads the print processing program from the recording medium and executes it. The above-described units are loaded on the main storage device, and the above-described units are generated on the main storage device.

  The program can also be recorded and distributed on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

  As described above, the printing apparatus, the printing method, and the printing program according to the present invention are suitable for browsing and printing image data stored in an external apparatus connected to a network.

10, 1700 browsing / acquisition management DB
11 LAN
12 Internet 13 Mobile phone network 14 Base station 21, 22, 1800 Multi-function device 23 Printer device 24 Facsimile device 25 Scanner 26 PC
27 Digital TV 28a, 28b Management server 29 Car navigation device 30 Mobile phone 31 Game machine 32 Digital camera 33 Notebook PC
80a to f Display area 99 "Electronic document" key 99 '"Electronic document" key 310 Controller 311 CPU
312 MEM-P
312a ROM
312b RAM
313 NB
314 SB
315 Bus 316 ASIC
317 MEM-C
318 HDD
320 Operation unit 330 FCU
340 USB
350 IEEE 1394 interface 360 Engine unit 501 Communication processing unit 502, 1811 Image acquisition unit 503 Thumbnail generation unit 504 Display processing unit 505 Selection unit 506 Printing unit 511, 1811 Image data request unit 512, 1812 Folder data request unit 513, 1814 Folder data acquisition Part 600 touch panel 601 numeric keypad 602 start key 603 clear / stop key 604 program key 605 reset / preheat key 606 interrupt key 607 trial copy key 608 setting key 1813 thumbnail request part 1815 thumbnail acquisition part

JP 2006-018853 A

Claims (8)

A printing device that can be connected to an external device having a folder capable of storing files via a network and has an operation unit including a touch panel,
A list screen for accepting selection of a file to be printed by the printing device from a list of files stored in the folder of the external device, and a button for displaying a print setting screen for accepting input of print settings First display means for displaying on the touch panel the list screen including:
After accepting the selection of the file to be printed from the list of files displayed on the list screen, in response to said button included in the list screen is selected, at least two-sided printing as the print setting A second display means for displaying on the touch panel the print setting screen for receiving an input relating to setting;
After accepting an input of print settings for the print setting screen displayed on the touch panel, a file selected from the files stored in the folder of the external device is selected in response to a user operation on the operation unit. Printing means that prints out the file based on the print setting that received the input;
A printing apparatus comprising: Third display means for displaying a selection reception screen for receiving selection of the folder on the touch panel,
The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the selection of the folder is received on the selection reception screen, the first display unit displays the list screen on the touch panel. The list screen is a screen for displaying a list of file names stored in the folder of the external device, and is a screen for accepting selection of a file to be printed by the printing device from the list of file names. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the list screen includes a creation date and time of each file. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the folder of the external apparatus includes at least a file in JPEG format. The printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the folder of the external device includes at least a file in a presentation file format. A print output method of a file in a printing apparatus that can be connected to an external device having a folder capable of storing files via a network and has an operation unit including a touch panel,
A list screen for accepting selection of a file to be printed by the printing device from a list of files stored in the folder of the external device, and displaying a print setting screen for accepting input of print settings A first display step of displaying on the touch panel the list screen including a button for causing
The printing apparatus, after receiving the selection of the file to be printed from the list of files displayed on the list screen, in response to said button included in the list screen is selected, the print settings A second display step of displaying on the touch panel the print setting screen that accepts at least input relating to the setting of duplex printing;
The file stored in the folder of the external device in response to a user operation on the operation unit after the printing device receives an input of print settings for the print setting screen displayed on the touch panel A printing step for printing out the selected file based on the print setting that received the input;
A print output method.