JP6160914B2 - Preview image generation method, preview image generation program, and preview image generation apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a preview image generation method, a preview image generation program, and a preview image generation apparatus, and more particularly to a preview image generation method, a preview image generation program, and a preview image that generate a print preview image of a document file. The present invention relates to a generation device.

  As one environment in which a document created on a client terminal is printed on a printing apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral), print setting is performed using a Web application provided by a server (referred to as a Web server) connected to a communication network. And the printing apparatus executes print processing based on the print job generated by the Web server. At that time, in order to prevent printing mistakes, the Web server can generate an image for preview display (hereinafter referred to as “print preview image”) and display it on the client terminal to confirm the performance of the actual printed matter. I am doing so.

  In preview display, a document file is rendered to generate a print preview image, and the print preview image is displayed by an application such as a client terminal viewer (sends print preview image data to the client terminal). Realizes preview display.

  Here, since the print preview image is normally generated in units of pages, until all objects (text, raster graphics, image) included in one page of the document file are rendered as print preview images, the client The print preview image is not displayed on the terminal. For this reason, if a page with a large number of pages is fed at a high speed immediately after the preview starts, the print preview image cannot be generated in time, and the user may wait until the print preview image is displayed. is there.

  As a technique related to the display of such a print preview image, for example, Patent Document 1 below is storage means for storing image data composed of one or more tiles. Storage means including at least a header including encoding information about encoding, determination means for determining an image type for each tile based on the encoding information, and accepting means for receiving designation of an image type for the image data Arrangement means for arranging each of the tiles for which the image type has been determined by the determination means according to the designation of the received image type, and sending means for transmitting the tile to an external device according to the arrangement. A server device in which the tile is divided into a plurality of frequency components is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, when content is read, only necessary images and sentences on the first page are read, and other images on the second page that do not need to be displayed immediately are the amount of data. After the first page of content has been displayed, the user has viewed the page, and while viewing the page, the images with the smallest data are created in order from the relevant items (pages). There is disclosed a technique in which a user replaces an item and reads it and displays it when the user tries to view another item (page).

JP 2007-19744 A JP 2009-43226 A

  As a method of dividing a document page, there is a method of dividing the document page by tile as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867. In this method, one print preview image is generated by arranging images for each of a plurality of tiles. However, when one object extends over a plurality of tiles, only a part of the object is displayed. . Here, since each object usually has one meaning as a whole, even if only a part of the object is displayed, the contents of the page may not be understood.

  Further, as in Patent Document 2, even when a print preview image of another page is generated while the print preview image of the first page is displayed, the print preview image is displayed when the page is quickly turned. The user cannot wait until the print preview image is displayed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main purpose is to make it easy to grasp the page content of a document and to shorten the time until the display of a print preview image is started. Another object is to provide a preview image generation method, a preview image generation program, and a preview image generation apparatus.

  One aspect of the present invention is a preview image generation method in a system in which a client terminal that creates a document and a preview image generation device that generates a print preview image of the document are connected via a communication network, A transmitting step in which the client terminal transmits the document data to the preview image generating apparatus; and the preview image generating apparatus receives and analyzes the document data from the client terminal, and An order setting step for extracting the type and data size of an object used for the page for each page, and setting the processing order for each type of object or for each one or a plurality of objects in ascending order of the data size; Image generator for preview An image generation step of generating a layer image for each type of the object or each of the one or a plurality of objects according to the processing order, and sequentially transmitting the generated layer image data to the client terminal; Receiving image data of the layer image from the preview image generating device, and displaying the layer image in a superimposed manner.

  One aspect of the present invention is a preview image generation program that operates in a preview image generation apparatus that generates a print preview image of a document, and receives data of the document input to the preview image generation apparatus For each page of the document, the type and data size of the object used for the page are extracted, and the processing order for each type of object or for one or a plurality of objects in ascending order of the data size. An order setting step for generating a layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or more objects according to the processing order, and an image generation step for sequentially outputting the generated layer image data. It is characterized by that.

  One aspect of the present invention is a preview image generation device that generates a print preview image based on a document created on a client terminal, and receives and analyzes the document data from the client terminal, For each page of a document, a document analysis unit that extracts the type and data size of the object used on the page, and sets the processing order for each object type or one or more objects in ascending order of data size An image generation control unit that performs, in accordance with the processing order, a preview image generation unit that generates a layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or more objects, and sequentially generates the generated layer image data in the client A preview image transmitter to be sent to the terminal, Characterized in that it comprises a.

  According to the preview image generation method, the preview image generation program, and the preview image generation apparatus of the present invention, it is easy to grasp the page content of the document and the time until the display of the print preview image is started is shortened. be able to.

  The reason is that the preview image generation apparatus (preview image generation program) analyzes the document data, extracts the type and data size of the object used for the page for each page of the document, and the data Set the processing order for each object type or one or more objects in the order of size, and generate a layer image for each object type or one or more objects according to the processing order. This is because the data is output sequentially.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of each device of a printing system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the Web server and client terminal in the printing system which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the object structure of the document file which concerns on 1st Example of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print preview image generation example (an example in which images are generated in the order of object types) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of generating a print preview image (an example of generating an image in order of object size) according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print preview image generation example (another example of generating images in order of object size) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of each apparatus of the printing system which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the Web server and client terminal in the printing system which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the example of a production | generation of the image for a print preview which concerns on 2nd Example of this invention (example which produces | generates an image by providing superimposition order information in order of the kind of object). It is a block diagram which shows the structure of each apparatus of the printing system which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the Web server and client terminal in the printing system which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the object structure of the document file which concerns on 3rd Example of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a print preview image generation example (an example in which images are generated in the order of low resolution and high resolution in the order of object types) according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a display example of an image for print preview according to a third embodiment of the present invention (an example in which images are displayed in order of low resolution and high resolution in order of object types). It is a block diagram which shows the structure of each apparatus of the printing system which concerns on the 4th Example of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows operation | movement of the Web server and client terminal in the printing system which concerns on the 4th Example of this invention.

  As shown in the background art, in the preview display, since it takes time to render each page, there is a problem that it takes a long time to start displaying the print preview image. In order to solve this problem, there is a method in which a page is divided into tiles (regions), images for each tile are sequentially generated, and the print preview image is displayed by arranging these images. However, tiles physically divide each page. When an object straddles multiple tiles, only part of the object is displayed, and part of the object understands the contents of the page. It is difficult. Therefore, when the print preview image is divided, it is preferable to divide by the object. However, since there are various types of objects and the sizes of the objects, the print preview is required unless the objects are selected in an appropriate order. It is not possible to efficiently shorten the time until the display of the commercial image.

  Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, when displaying a print preview image of each page by overlaying a plurality of layer images in the document file preview display, an object used for each page of the document is displayed. Analyzing and selecting an object for each layer image so that the data size of one or more objects included in one layer image is smaller than the data size of one or more objects included in the next layer image Try to distribute. Thereby, it is possible to shorten the time until the display of the print preview image is started while facilitating understanding of the contents of the page.

  At this time, if the objects overlap, the overlay order information counted from the back (or foreground) in order is added to the data of each layer image, and the application that performs the preview display refers to the overlay order information. Thus, by allowing the layer images to be displayed in an appropriate order, it is possible to shorten the time required to start displaying the print preview image while maintaining the display order correctly.

  Further, in the above processing, the print preview image is obtained by first increasing the display speed by sending a layer image in which the object is drawn at a low resolution, and then sending back the layer image in which the object is drawn at a high resolution. It is possible to further shorten the time until the display of.

  In order to describe the above-described embodiment of the present invention in more detail, the preview image generation method, the preview image generation program, and the preview image generation apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the printing system of this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operations of the Web server and the client terminal of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the object configuration of the document file. FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams schematically illustrating an example of generation of a print preview image according to the present exemplary embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, a printing system 10 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a printing device 20 that executes printing processing, a Web server 30 that instructs the printing device 20 to print, and a client terminal 40 that creates a document such as a document. , Composed of. These are connected to each other via a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network).

  The client terminal 40 and the Web server 30 are general computer devices, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). And a control unit composed of a communication unit such as a NIC (Network Interface Card), and is controlled by an OS (Operating System). Software (Web application) that controls the printing system of this embodiment is stored in the memory and HDD of the client terminal 40 and Web server 30. The memory and HDD of the client terminal 40 also store a program for creating a document, a document file, and the like. The memory or HDD of the Web server 30 also stores a preview image generation program that controls generation of a print preview image.

  The printing apparatus 20 includes a control unit including a CPU, a memory such as a ROM and a RAM, a storage unit such as an HDD, and a communication unit such as a NIC, and executes a printing process according to the contents of the print job output from the Web server 30. To do. A memory or HDD of the printing apparatus 20 stores a preview image generation program for controlling generation of a print preview image. The printing apparatus 20 only needs to have a function operable as a network printer. In addition to the function as a printer, the printing apparatus 20 may have a function as a scanner, a fuck shim, a finisher, or the like.

  Hereinafter, the software configuration (function realized by software operating on the control unit) of each apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

[Printer]
The printing apparatus 20 functions as a print output unit 21 or the like by software operating on the control unit.

  The print output unit 21 controls printing processing on paper based on the print job received from the print job generation unit 32 of the Web server 30. Specifically, the photosensitive drum charged by the charging device is irradiated with light corresponding to the image from the exposure device to form an electrostatic latent image, and the toner charged by the developing device is attached and developed. A process for primary transfer of the image to the transfer belt, secondary transfer from the transfer belt to the paper medium, and fixing of the toner image to the paper medium by the fixing device is controlled.

[Web server]
The Web server 30 is a device that generates a print preview image. The software runs on the control unit, and the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, and the preview image transmission unit 34 It functions as an image generation control unit 35 and a document analysis unit 36.

  The data management unit 31 manages the program and screen information of the Web application, the document file to be processed, and the like. The client terminal 40 downloads a program and screen information from the data management unit 31, and performs internal processing and screen display of the Web application via the Web browser. The document file managed by the data management unit 31 is transmitted to the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, and the like.

  The print job generation unit 32 generates a print job based on the print setting information input by the print setting unit 42d of the client terminal 40. The print job data generated here is transmitted to the print output unit 21 of the printing apparatus 20, and the print output unit 21 executes print processing.

  The document analysis unit 36 analyzes the document file received from the data management unit 31 and sets the type, data size, and position (coordinates on the document) of each object used for each page of the document as necessary. Extract.

  The image generation control unit 35 sets the order of object types (or objects) to be subjected to image generation processing based on the type and data size of each object extracted by the document analysis unit 36. Specifically, the processing order for each object type (or for each object) is set for each page of the document in ascending order of data size. In addition, when grouping multiple objects, for each page of the document, based on the position and data size of each object, select and group objects that are close to each other or close to the data size. The processing order for each group is set in ascending order.

  The preview image generation unit 33 performs rendering for each object type, for each object, or for each group based on the processing order set by the image generation control unit 35, and for each layer image constituting the print preview image Is generated.

  The preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image generated by the preview image generation unit 33 to the client terminal 40.

[Client terminal]
The client terminal 40 functions as an MFP selection unit 41, a screen display unit 42, and the like by software operating on the control unit.

  The MFP selection unit 41 allows the user to select the printing apparatus 20 that prints out a document.

  The screen display unit 42 displays a screen for setting and preview browsing on the Web browser. The screen display unit 42 includes a document file selection unit 42a, a preview display unit 42b, a preview operation unit 42c, a print setting unit 42d, and the like.

  The document file selection unit 42a allows the user to select a document file to be displayed as a print preview image. The selected document file is uploaded to the Web server 30 side and managed by the data management unit 31.

  The preview display unit 42 b displays the print preview image on the Web browser by superimposing the layer images generated by the preview image generation unit 33 of the Web server 30.

  The preview operation unit 42c enables operations such as page movement and enlargement / reduction / rotation of the preview display of the print preview image.

  The print setting unit 42d displays a print setting screen on the Web browser based on the screen information acquired from the data management unit 31 of the Web server 30. It also controls print setting contents and accepts / manages print setting input from the user. The print setting information set by the print setting unit 42d is notified to the preview image generating unit 33 via the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30, and a layer image reflecting the print setting is generated.

  Hereinafter, an operation (operation until preview display) of the printing system 10 (the Web server 30 and the client terminal 40) configured as described above will be described. The CPU of the Web server 30 and the client terminal 40 reads the program stored in the ROM (the Web server 30 is a preview image generation program), develops it in the RAM, and executes it, thereby performing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Run.

  First, the document file selection unit 42a of the client terminal 40 uploads the document file selected by the user operation to be printed to the data management unit 31 of the Web server 30 (S101).

  In the Web server 30, after the data management unit 31 receives and saves the document file transmitted from the document file selection unit 42a (S102), the document analysis unit 36 analyzes the content of the received document file, The object type and data size are extracted for each page of the document (S103). Next, the image generation control unit 35 sets the processing order for each object type (or for each object or each group) in ascending order of data size (S104).

  Next, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been completed (S105), and processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has ended. If not, the preview image generation unit 33 generates a layer image from the object in accordance with the processing order set in S104 (S106), and the preview image transmission unit 34 sends the layer image data to the client terminal 40. Transmit (S107).

  In the client terminal 40, the preview display unit 42b receives the layer image data (S108), and displays the layer images in a superimposed manner (S109).

  Thereafter, in S105, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether the image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) is completed, and the processing for all object types (or objects or groups) is completed. If not, the processing of S106 and S107 of the Web server 30 and the processing of S108 and S109 of the client terminal 40 are repeated, and when the processing of all object types (or objects and groups) is completed, the client terminal 40 Then, the print preview image obtained by superimposing the layer images is displayed (S110).

  Hereinafter, the above process will be described with a specific example. FIG. 4 is an example of a document to be previewed. The document 50 includes three object types, a text object 51, a vector graphics object 52, and an image object 53. The data size for each object type is the vector graphics object 52, the text object in ascending order. 51, an image object 53.

  When previewing the document 50 (see FIG. 5A) configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 5B, the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30 uses the object type and the analysis analyzed by the document analysis unit 36. Based on the data size for each object type, the order of preview image generation / transmission processing is set in the order of the object type with the smallest data size. Then, in accordance with the order, the preview image generation unit 33 sequentially displays the first layer image in which the vector graphics object 52 is drawn, the second layer image in which the text object 51 is drawn, and the third layer image in which the image object 53 is drawn. The preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 superimposes and displays the layer images in the order in which the data is received. That is, first, the first layer image is displayed, the second layer image is superimposed on the image, and further the third layer image is superimposed on the image. As a result, the user can quickly check the first layer image (the entire image of the vector graphics object 52 having the smallest data size), so that the contents of the document can be understood more easily than when the document is divided into tiles. It is possible to reduce the time until the display of the print preview image is started.

  Although FIG. 5 shows a case where a layer is divided for each type of object, when a document includes a plurality of one type of object, a layer image can be generated for each object. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is assumed that a document 50 includes three types of image objects having different sizes, and is an image 1, an image 2, and an image 3 in order of increasing size.

  At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6B, the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30 determines the order of the preview image generation / transmission processing based on the data size of the object analyzed by the document analysis unit 36. Set in order of objects with the smallest data size. Then, the preview image generation unit 33 sequentially generates a first layer image in which the image 1 is drawn, a second layer image in which the image 2 is drawn, and a third layer image in which the image 3 is drawn in order. The image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 first displays the first layer image, displays the second layer image superimposed on the image, and further displays the first layer image on the image. A three-layer image is superimposed and displayed. As a result, the user can quickly check the first layer image (the entire image of image 1 having the smallest data size), so that the contents of the document can be understood more easily than when the document is divided into tiles. It is possible to shorten the time until the display of the print preview image is started.

  Although the data size for each object type is compared in FIG. 5 and the data size of each object is compared in FIG. 6, the data size may be compared for each group of one or a plurality of objects. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the document 50 includes six image objects, and the images 1 to 3 and the images 5 and 6 each form a group. 1 to 3, image 4, and images 5 and 6.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30 groups the objects based on the position and data size of the objects analyzed by the document analysis unit 36 (objects with a short distance). Or objects having similar data sizes are set as a group), and the order of preview image generation / transmission processing is set in the order of objects or groups having a smaller data size. Then, the preview image generation unit 33 sequentially generates the first layer image in which the images 1 to 3 are drawn, the second layer image in which the image 4 is drawn, and the third layer image in which the images 5 and 6 are drawn according to the order. Then, the preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in FIG. 7C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 first displays the first layer image, displays the second layer image superimposed on the image, and further displays the first layer image on the images. A three-layer image is superimposed and displayed. As a result, the user can quickly check the first layer image (the entire image of the images 1 to 3 having the smallest data size), so that the contents of the document can be understood more easily than when the document is divided into tiles. And the time until the display of the print preview image is started can be shortened.

  In FIG. 5, three types of objects are included in the document, but the same applies to the case of two types. 6 and 7 show the case where only the image object is included in the document, the same applies to the case where only the vector graphics object or only the text object is included. In FIG. 5, a layer image is formed for each object type, and in FIGS. 6 and 7, one or more objects are configured. By combining these, one or more objects of the same type or different types are arranged in each layer image. You may make it do. In FIGS. 5 to 7, the print preview image is composed of three layer images. However, there may be a plurality of layer images.

  Next, a preview image generation method, a preview image generation program, and a preview image generation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each device of the printing system of this embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operations of the Web server and client terminal of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a generation example of a preview image according to the present embodiment.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case where the objects included in the document do not overlap has been described. However, depending on the document, the objects overlap (for example, the text object is overlapped with the graphic of the vector graphics object). There is also. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a method for allowing the objects to be displayed in the correct order even when there is an overlap will be described. The points not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the printing system 10 of this embodiment includes a printing device 20 that executes printing processing, a Web server 30 that instructs the printing device 20 to print, and a document such as a document. And a client terminal 40 to be created, which are connected to each other via a communication network. FIG. 8 shows the software configuration of each device (function realized by software operating on the control unit).

[Printer]
As in the first embodiment, the printing apparatus 20 functions as a print output unit 21 or the like by software operating on the control unit. The print output unit 21 controls printing processing on paper based on the print job received from the print job generation unit 32 of the Web server 30.

[Web server]
The Web server 30 is a device that generates a print preview image. The software runs on the control unit, and the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, and the preview image transmission unit 34 It functions as an image generation control unit 35, document analysis units 36a and 36b, a superposition order giving unit 37, and the like. Note that the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, and the preview image transmission unit 34 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  The document analysis unit 36a analyzes the document file received from the data management unit 31 and extracts the display order of each object used in each page of the document (the order counted from the back of each object in order). To do.

  The document analysis unit 36b analyzes the document file and extracts the type, data size, and position (coordinates on the document) of each object used for each page of the document.

  The image generation control unit 35 sets the order of object types (or objects) to be subjected to image generation processing based on the type and data size of each object extracted by the document analysis unit 36b. Specifically, the processing order for each object type (or for each object) is set for each page of the document in ascending order of data size. Also, for each page of the document, the objects are grouped based on the position and data size of each object, and the processing order for each group is set in ascending order of the data size.

  The preview image generation unit 33 generates each layer image constituting the print preview image by rendering for each object type, for each object, or for each group based on the order set by the image generation control unit 35. To do.

  The overlay order assigning unit 37 superimposes each layer image in the display order of the objects extracted by the document analysis unit 36a on the data of each layer image generated by the preview image generating unit 33 ( (Referred to as superposition order information).

[Client terminal]
The client terminal 40 functions as an MFP selection unit 41, a screen display unit 42, and the like by software operating on the control unit. The screen display unit 42 includes a document file selection unit 42a, a preview operation unit 42c, a preview display unit 42b, a print setting unit 42d, and the like. The MFP selection unit 41, the document file selection unit 42a, the preview operation unit 42c, and the print setting unit 42d are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The preview display unit 42 b displays the print preview image on the Web browser by superimposing the layer images generated by the preview image generation unit 33 of the Web server 30. At this time, the display order of each layer image (which layer image is displayed in front) is determined with reference to the overlay order information given to the data of each layer image.

  Hereinafter, operations (operations until preview display) of the printing system 10 (the client terminal 40 and the Web server 30) configured as described above will be described. The CPU of the Web server 30 and the client terminal 40 reads the program stored in the ROM (the Web server 30 is a preview image generation program), develops it in the RAM, and executes it, thereby performing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Run.

  First, the document file selection unit 42a of the client terminal 40 uploads the document file to be printed selected by the user operation to the data management unit 31 of the Web server 30 (S201).

  In the Web server 30, after the data management unit 31 receives and stores the document file transmitted from the document file selection unit 42a (S202), the document analysis unit 36b analyzes the content of the received document file, The object type and data size are extracted for each page of the document (S203). Next, the image generation control unit 35 sets the order of preview image generation / transmission processing in the order of the object type (or object or group) with the smallest data size (S204).

  Next, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been completed (S205), and processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has ended. If not, the preview image generation unit 33 generates a layer image from the object according to the processing order set in S204 (S206). Then, the superimposition order giving unit 37 gives superposition order information to the layer image data (S207), and the preview image transmitting unit 34 sends the layer image data to which the superposition order information is given to the client terminal 40. Transmit (S208).

  The client terminal 40 receives the layer image data (S209), refers to the overlay order information added to the layer image data, sets the display order of the layer images (S210), and follows the set order. Layer images are superimposed and displayed (S211).

  Thereafter, in S205, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether the image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been completed, and the processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been completed. If not, the processes of S206 to S208 of the Web server 30 and S209 to S211 of the client terminal 40 are repeated. When the processing of all object types (or objects and groups) is completed, the client terminal 40 displays a print preview image in which the layer images are superimposed according to the overlay order information (S212).

  Hereinafter, the above process will be described with a specific example. FIG. 10A shows an example of a document to be previewed. The document 50 includes three object types, a text object 51, a vector graphics object 52, and an image object 53. The data size for each object type is the vector graphics object 52, the text object in ascending order. 51, an image object 53. Further, a part of the vector graphics object 52 overlaps the text object 51 and the image object 53, and the vector graphics object 52 (rectangular border) is drawn in front of the text object 51, and the vector graphics It is assumed that the object 52 (elliptical line) is drawn in front of the image object 53.

  When previewing the document 50 having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 10B, the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30 is based on the object type analyzed by the document analysis unit 36b and the data size for each object type. The order of the preview image generation / transmission process is set in the order of the object type with the smallest data size. Then, in accordance with the order, the preview image generation unit 33 sequentially displays the first layer image in which the vector graphics object 52 is drawn, the second layer image in which the text object 51 is drawn, and the third layer image in which the image object 53 is drawn. At the same time, the overlay order information is given to the data of each layer image. Then, the preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to which the overlay order information is added to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in FIG. 10C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 superimposes and displays the layer images in the order in which the data is received. That is, first, the first layer image is displayed, and the second layer image is superimposed on the image. At this time, since the first layer image is displayed before the second layer image, the vector graphics object (rectangular frame line) overlapping the text object is not invisible by the text object. Further, the third layer image is superimposed on these images and displayed. At this time, since the first layer image is displayed before the third layer image, the vector graphics object (elliptical line) overlapping the image object is not invisible by the image object. As a result, each object of the document can be appropriately displayed even when the document where the objects overlap is displayed as a preview.

  Next, a preview image generating method, a preview image generating program, and a preview image generating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each device in the printing system of this embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operations of the Web server and client terminal of this embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating a generation example of a preview image according to the present embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where a layer image that finally becomes a print preview image is generated has been described, but in this embodiment, the time until the display of the print preview image is started. In order to further reduce the image quality, a method will be described in which the resolution is once lowered and all objects are displayed in a row and then replaced with a high-resolution image. Unless otherwise specified, it is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the printing system 10 of this embodiment includes a printing device 20 that executes printing processing, a Web server 30 that instructs the printing device 20 to print, and a document such as a document. And a client terminal 40 to be created, which are connected to each other via a communication network. FIG. 11 shows the software configuration of each device (function realized by software operating on the control unit).

[Printer]
As in the first embodiment, the printing apparatus 20 functions as a print output unit 21 or the like by software operating on the control unit. The print output unit 21 controls printing processing on paper based on the print job received from the print job generation unit 32 of the Web server 30.

[Web server]
The Web server 30 is a device that generates a print preview image. The software runs on the control unit, and the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, and the preview image transmission unit 34 It functions as an image generation control unit 35, document analysis units 36a and 36b, an overlay order assigning unit 37, a resolution switching unit 38, and the like. Note that the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the document analysis units 36a and 36b, and the overlay order assignment unit 37 are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The image generation control unit 35 sets the order of object types (or objects) to be subjected to image generation processing based on the type and data size of each object extracted by the document analysis unit 36b. Specifically, the processing order for each object type (or for each object) is set for each page of the document in ascending order of data size. Also, for each page of the document, the objects are grouped based on the position and data size of each object, and the processing order for each group is set in ascending order of the data size.

  The preview image generation unit 33 renders and prints for each object type, for each object, or for each group based on the order set by the image generation control unit 35 and the resolution set by the resolution switching unit 38. Each layer image constituting the preview image is generated.

  The resolution switching unit 38 designates the resolution of the layer image generated by the preview image generating unit 33. Specifically, control is performed so that layer image generation processing is initially performed at a low resolution (resolution lower than the resolution of the final print preview image), and when image generation and transmission processing of all objects is completed, The layer image generation processing is controlled to be performed again at a high resolution (the resolution of the final print preview image).

[Client terminal]
The client terminal 40 functions as an MFP selection unit 41, a screen display unit 42, and the like by software operating on the control unit. The screen display unit 42 includes a document file selection unit 42a, a preview operation unit 42c, a preview display unit 42b, a print setting unit 42d, and the like. The MFP selection unit 41, the document file selection unit 42a, the preview operation unit 42c, and the print setting unit 42d are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The preview display unit 42 b displays the print preview image on the Web browser by superimposing the layer images generated by the preview image generation unit 33 of the Web server 30. At that time, the display order is determined with reference to the superposition order information given to the data of each layer image. In addition, when high-resolution layer image data is received after displaying a low-resolution layer image for all objects, the low-resolution layer image corresponds to the layer image by referring to the overlay order information. Replace with a high-resolution layer image for display.

  Hereinafter, operations (operations until preview display) of the printing system 10 (the client terminal 40 and the Web server 30) configured as described above will be described. The CPU of the Web server 30 and the client terminal 40 reads the program stored in the ROM (the Web server 30 is a preview image generation program), develops it in the RAM, and executes it, thereby performing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Run.

  First, the document file selection unit 42a of the client terminal 40 uploads the document file to be printed selected by the user operation to the data management unit 31 of the Web server 30 (S301).

  In the Web server 30, after the data management unit 31 receives and stores the document file transmitted from the document file selection unit 42a (S302), the document analysis unit 36b analyzes the content of the received document file, The object type and data size are extracted for each page of the document (S303). Next, the image generation control unit 35 sets the order of preview image generation / transmission processing in the order of the object type (or object or group) with the smallest data size (S304).

  Next, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been performed at a low resolution (S305), and all object types (or objects or groups) are checked. When the processing is not performed at a low resolution, the preview image generation unit 33 generates a layer image from the object at a low resolution according to the processing order set in S304 (S306). Then, the overlay order assigning unit 37 assigns overlay order information to the layer image data (S307), and the preview image transmitting unit 34 provides the low resolution layer image data to which the overlay order information is added. Is transmitted to the client terminal 40 (S308).

  The client terminal 40 receives the data of the low resolution layer image (S309), refers to the overlay order information given to the layer image data, sets the display order of this layer image (S310), and sets In accordance with the order, the low resolution layer images are superimposed and displayed (S311).

  Thereafter, in S305, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects and groups) has been performed at a low resolution, and processing for all object types (or objects and groups) is performed. Is not executed at a low resolution, the processes of S306 to S308 of the Web server 30 and S309 to S311 of the client terminal 40 are repeated. When processing of all object types (or objects or groups) has been performed at a low resolution, the image generation control unit 35 has performed image generation / transmission processing of all object types (or objects or groups) at a high resolution. Is checked (S312).

  If all object types (or objects and groups) are not processed at high resolution, the preview image generating unit 33 generates a layer image from the objects at high resolution according to the processing order set in S304 ( S313). Then, the overlay order assigning unit 37 assigns the overlay order information to the layer image data (S314), and the preview image transmitting unit 34 transmits the layer image data to which the overlay order information is added to the client terminal. 40 (S315).

  The client terminal 40 receives the high-resolution layer image data (S316), refers to the overlay order given to the layer image data, sets the display order of this layer image (S317), and sets the set order. Accordingly, the low-resolution layer image is replaced with the high-resolution layer image and displayed (S318).

  After that, in S312, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects and groups) has been performed with high resolution, and processing for all object types (or objects and groups). Is not performed at a high resolution, the processes of S313 to S315 of the Web server 30 and S316 to S318 of the client terminal 40 are repeated. If high resolution processing has been performed for all object types (or objects and groups), the client terminal 40 displays the superimposed print preview image by replacing each layer image with high resolution (S319). .

  Hereinafter, the above process will be described with a specific example. FIG. 13A shows an example of a document to be previewed. The document 50 includes three object types, a text object 51, a vector graphics object 52, and an image object 53. The data size for each object type is the vector graphics object 52, the text object in ascending order. 51, an image object 53.

  When a preview of the document 50 having the above configuration is displayed, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 13B, the image generation control unit 35 of the Web server 30 sets the object type analyzed by the document analysis unit 36b and the data size for each object type. Based on this, the order of preview image generation / transmission processing is set in the order of the object type with the smallest data size. Then, the preview image generation unit 33 follows the order in which the first layer in which the vector graphics object 52 is drawn at a low resolution (the low resolution is expressed by a thin broken line) and the text object 51 are displayed. A second layer drawn with low resolution (representing low resolution with thin characters), a third layer with image object 53 drawn with low resolution (representing low resolution with a rough image) Are generated in order, and overlay order information is given to the data of each layer image. Then, the preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to which the overlay order information is added to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in the upper part of FIG. 13C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 superimposes and displays the layer images in the order in which the data is received. That is, first, the first layer image is displayed, the second layer image is superimposed on the image, and further the third layer image is superimposed on the image. In this manner, once the low-resolution image is displayed, the time until the display of the print preview image is started can be shortened.

  When the layer image drawn at a low resolution is transmitted to all the objects to the client terminal 40, the preview image generation unit 33 of the Web server 30 is set as shown in the lower part of FIG. In accordance with the above order, the first ′ layer in which the vector graphics object 52 is drawn at high resolution (the high resolution is represented by a solid solid line), and the second ′ layer in which the text object 51 is drawn at high resolution. (The high resolution is expressed by thick characters.) And the third 'layer (the high resolution is expressed by a fine image) in which the image object 53 is drawn at a high resolution is generated in order. In addition, superimposition order information is given to the data of each layer image. Then, the preview image transmission unit 34 transmits the data of each layer image to which the overlay order information is added to the client terminal 40 in the order generated by the preview image generation unit 33.

  As shown in the lower part of FIG. 13C, the preview display unit 42b of the client terminal 40 displays each layer image in the order in which the data is received in consideration of the overlay order. That is, first, the first layer image is replaced with the first ′ layer image and then displayed, then the second layer image is replaced with the second ′ layer image, and then the third layer image is replaced with the third ′ layer image. Replace with an image to display.

  Next, a preview image generation method, a preview image generation program, and a preview image generation apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of each device in the printing system of this embodiment, and FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operations of the Web server and client terminal of this embodiment.

  In the first embodiment described above, the case has been described where the data size of the object is compared on the Web server 30 side, and the processing order of the objects is set based on the result, but in this embodiment, the user specified it. A method for determining the processing order of object types (or objects and groups) in consideration of the order will be described. The points not particularly described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, the printing system 10 of this embodiment includes a printing device 20 that executes printing processing, a Web server 30 that instructs the printing device 20 to print, and a document such as a document. And a client terminal 40 to be created, which are connected to each other via a communication network. FIG. 14 shows a software configuration (functions realized by software operating on the control unit) of each device.

[Printer]
As in the first embodiment, the printing apparatus 20 functions as a print output unit 21 or the like by software operating on the control unit. The print output unit 21 controls printing processing on paper based on the print job received from the print job generation unit 32 of the Web server 30.

[Web server]
The Web server 30 is a device that generates a print preview image. The software runs on the control unit, and the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, and the preview image transmission unit 34 It functions as an image generation control unit 35 and a document analysis unit 36. Note that the data management unit 31, the print job generation unit 32, the preview image generation unit 33, the preview image transmission unit 34, and the document analysis unit 36 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  Based on the type and data size of each object extracted by the document analysis unit 36 and the order of the object type specified by the user, the image generation control unit 35 applies to each page of the document for each object type (or Set the processing order for each object). Further, as necessary, the objects are grouped on each page of the document based on the position and data size of each object, and the processing order for each group is set. As a method for setting the processing order, it is basically preferable to use the order specified by the user. For example, if the data size of the object type (or object or group) is large enough to exceed a certain value, The object type (or object or group) is skipped, and the object type (or object or group) designated next by the user is processed. After the processing is completed, the skipped object type (or object or group) is processed in order.

[Client terminal]
The client terminal 40 functions as an MFP selection unit 41, a screen display unit 42, and the like by software operating on the control unit. The screen display unit 42 includes a document file selection unit 42a, a preview operation unit 42c, a preview display unit 42b, a print setting unit 42d, an object order designation unit 42e, and the like. The MFP selection unit 41, the document file selection unit 42a, the preview operation unit 42c, and the print setting unit 42d are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The object order designating unit 42e designates the order of the object type (or object or group) that the user desires as the preview display order. For example, the first text object, the second image object, the third raster graphics object, etc. are designated.

  Hereinafter, operations (operations until preview display) of the printing system 10 (the client terminal 40 and the Web server 30) configured as described above will be described. The CPU of the Web server 30 and the client terminal 40 reads each program stored in the ROM (the Web server 30 is a preview image generation program), develops it in the RAM, and executes it, thereby performing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. Run.

  First, the document file selection unit 42a of the client terminal 40 uploads the document file to be printed selected by the user operation to the data management unit 31 of the Web server 30 (S401).

  In the Web server 30, the data management unit 31 receives and stores the document file transmitted from the document file selection unit 42a (S402), and then the document analysis unit 36 analyzes the contents of the received document file, For each page of the document, the object type and data size are extracted, and the result is notified to the client terminal 40 (S403).

  Next, in the client terminal 40, the object order specifying unit 42e specifies the order of object types (or objects or groups) for which image generation / display processing is performed in accordance with a user operation (S404).

  In the Web server 30, the image generation control unit 35 sets the order of preview image generation / transmission processing in consideration of the order specified by the user and the data size for each object type (or object or group) (S405). ). Next, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has been completed (S406), and processing for all object types (or objects or groups) has ended. If not, the preview image generation unit 33 generates a layer image from the object in accordance with the processing order set in S405 (S407), and the preview image transmission unit 34 sends the layer image data to the client terminal 40. Transmit (S408).

  In the client terminal 40, the preview display unit 42b receives the layer image data (S409), and displays the layer images in a superimposed manner (S410).

  Thereafter, in S406, the image generation control unit 35 checks whether the image generation / transmission processing for all object types (or objects or groups) is completed, and the processing for all object types (or objects or groups) is completed. If not, when the processing of S407 and S408 of the Web server 30 and the processing of S409 and S410 of the client terminal 40 are repeated and the processing of all object types (or objects and groups) is completed, the client terminal 40 Then, the print preview image obtained by superimposing the layer images is displayed (S411).

  Thus, by setting the object display order in consideration of the user's specification, the contents of the print preview image can be more easily understood.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the configuration and control of the printing system 10 can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the Web server 30 generates each layer image constituting the print preview image has been described. However, a printing apparatus such as an MFP, a printer controller, or an apparatus such as a RIP (Raster Image Processing) controller may be used. Each layer image constituting the print preview image may be generated by software operating on the control unit.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for an apparatus that generates a print preview image of a document, a program that operates on the apparatus, a recording medium that records the program, and a preview image generation method in a system including the apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing system 20 Printing apparatus 21 Print output part 30 Web server 31 Data management part 32 Print job generation part 33 Preview image generation part 34 Preview image transmission part 35 Image generation control part 36, 36a, 36b Document analysis part 37 Superimposition Order assignment unit 38 Resolution switching unit 40 Client terminal 41 MFP selection unit 42 Screen display unit 42a Document file selection unit 42b Preview display unit 42c Preview operation unit 42d Print setting unit 42e Object order specification unit 50 Document 51 Text object 52 Vector graphics object 53 Image Object

Claims (15)

A preview image generation method in a system in which a client terminal that creates a document and a preview image generation apparatus that generates a print preview image of the document are connected via a communication network,
The client terminal transmits the document data to the preview image generating device; and
The preview image generation apparatus receives and analyzes the document data from the client terminal, extracts the type and data size of an object used for the page for each page of the document, and sets the data size. An order setting step for setting the processing order for each type of object or one or more objects in ascending order of
Image generation in which the preview image generation device generates a layer image for each type of the object or each of the one or a plurality of objects according to the processing order, and sequentially transmits the generated layer image data to the client terminal Steps,
An image display step in which the client terminal receives data of the layer image from the preview image generation device and displays the layer image in a superimposed manner;
A preview image generation method characterized by the above. In the order setting step, when the drawing positions of a plurality of objects overlap, the order from the back of each object is specified,
In the image generation step, superimposition order information for superimposing the plurality of layer images according to the order is added to data of the plurality of layer images corresponding to the plurality of objects,
In the image display step, the display order of the plurality of layer images is set with reference to the overlay order information.
The method for generating a preview image according to claim 1. In the image generation step, according to the processing order, a layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or more objects is generated at a low resolution, and the generated low resolution layer image data is sequentially transmitted, When the layer image data of the low resolution is transmitted to all the objects within, the layer image for each type of the object or the one or more objects is generated at a high resolution according to the processing order, and generated. Sequentially transmitting the data of the high-resolution layer image,
In the image display step, the low-resolution layer image is sequentially superimposed and displayed, and then when the data of the high-resolution layer image is received, the low-resolution layer image is converted into the high-resolution layer image corresponding to the layer image. To display with the layer image of
The preview image generation method according to claim 1, wherein the preview image generation method is a preview image. In the order setting step, the client terminal is notified of the result of analyzing the document data, and the processing order is set with reference to the order specified by the client terminal.
The preview image generation method according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The object includes one or more objects selected from a text object, a vector graphics object, and an image object.
The preview image generation method according to claim 1, wherein the preview image generation method is a preview image. A preview image generation program that operates on a preview image generation device that generates a print preview image of a document,
In the preview image generation device,
The input document data is received and analyzed, and for each page of the document, the type and data size of the object used for the page are extracted, and in order of increasing data size, for each type of object or An order setting step for setting a processing order for one or more objects;
In accordance with the processing order, generate a layer image for each type of object or for each one or a plurality of objects, and execute an image generation step of sequentially outputting data of the generated layer image.
A preview image generation program characterized by the above. In the order setting step, when the drawing positions of a plurality of objects overlap, the order from the back of each object is specified,
In the image generation step, the data of a plurality of layer images corresponding to the plurality of objects is added with superposition order information for superimposing the plurality of layer images according to the order, and is output.
The display order of the plurality of layer images can be set by the overlay order information.
The preview image generation program according to claim 6, wherein: In the image generation step, according to the processing order, a layer image for each type of the object or each of the one or more objects is generated at low resolution, and the generated low resolution layer image data is sequentially output, When the output of the data of the low resolution layer image is completed for all the objects within, in accordance with the processing order, the layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or more objects is generated at a high resolution, Sequentially outputting the data of the generated high-resolution layer image;
The preview image generation program according to claim 6 or 7, In the order setting step, the processing order is set with reference to the order specified by the user.
9. The preview image generation program according to claim 6, wherein the preview image generation program is any one of claims 6 to 8. The object includes one or more objects selected from a text object, a vector graphics object, and an image object.
The preview image generation program according to any one of claims 6 to 9, A preview image generation device that generates a print preview image based on a document created on a client terminal,
A document analysis unit that receives and analyzes the data of the document from the client terminal, and extracts, for each page of the document, the type and data size of an object used in the page;
An image generation control unit that sets the processing order for each type of object or for each one or a plurality of objects in ascending order of data size;
An image generation unit for preview that generates a layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or a plurality of objects according to the processing order;
A preview image transmission unit that sequentially transmits the generated layer image data to the client terminal;
A preview image generating apparatus characterized by that. Superposition for superimposing the plurality of layer images on the data of a plurality of layer images corresponding to the plurality of objects according to the order from the backmost surface of each object when the drawing positions of the plurality of objects overlap. A superposition order giving unit for giving order information;
The display order of the plurality of layer images can be set by the overlay order information.
The preview image generation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the preview image generation apparatus is a preview image generation apparatus. The preview image generation unit generates a layer image for each object type or each of the one or more objects at a low resolution according to the processing order, and the low resolution layer for all objects in a page. After generating the image, according to the processing order, generate a layer image for each type of the object or for each of the one or more objects at a high resolution,
The preview image transmission unit sequentially transmits the low resolution layer image data, and then sequentially transmits the low resolution layer image data.
The preview image generation apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the preview image generation apparatus is a preview image generation apparatus. The image generation control unit notifies the client terminal of the analysis result of the document data, refers to the order specified by the client terminal, and sets the processing order;
The preview image generation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the preview image generation apparatus is a preview image generation apparatus. The object includes one or more objects selected from a text object, a vector graphics object, and an image object.
The preview image generation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the preview image generation apparatus is a preview image generation apparatus.

Images