JP6711852B2 - Communication method and communication system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is a communication method, and a communication system, and more particularly to a communication method using a short-range wireless communication.

Conventionally, there is a method of transmitting data existing in a web server device to the information processing device in order to allow another information processing device to process data existing in the web server device that can be browsed by a mobile terminal (Patent Document 1). reference). According to Patent Document 1, the mobile terminal authenticates with the information processing device by a communication interface for establishing communication, then establishes the communication to be originally connected and issues a data request to the information processing device. Then, the Web server device transmits the data to the information processing device.

JP, 2013-184297, A

The method described in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the information processing apparatus can communicate with the Web server apparatus via the network. However, the user may directly connect the mobile terminal and the information processing device to each other without using the access point outside the information processing device.

The present invention aims at the communication terminal to provide a communication method, and communication system capable of transmitting data to the printing device easily obtained and from the Web server.

In order to achieve the above object, the communication method of the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, a communication method using a communication terminal having a display unit and a printing apparatus capable of communicating with the communication terminal by a first wireless communication method or a second wireless communication method, wherein the communication terminal is a Web server. Between a display control step of executing a process for displaying a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in the display unit on the display unit, and the printing device, between the communication terminal. On the basis of wireless communication according to the first wireless communication system, a transition is made to a predetermined state in which direct connection by the second wireless communication system with the communication terminal via the access point included in the printing apparatus is possible. The transition step, and the communication terminal, an image selected from the plurality of images based on a user instruction on the screen, and downloaded as a print target from the Web server to the predetermined state in the transition step A transmitting step of transmitting to the printing apparatus by the direct connection; and a printing step of printing the image transmitted from the communication terminal by the printing apparatus in the transmitting step,
Based on the fact that a plurality of images to be printed are selected based on a user instruction on the screen and wireless communication is performed with the printing device according to the first wireless communication method, the transmitting step In the communication terminal, the communication terminal transmits the plurality of images to be printed to the printing apparatus.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is an effect that W eb may be transmitted to the printing apparatus acquires data easily from the server device.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a network system capable of communication by short-range wireless communication that is an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of a portable terminal. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the MFP apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a portable terminal. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an MFP. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which thumbnails of print candidates are displayed on a mobile terminal. 6 is a flowchart showing print data acquisition processing executed by the mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. 9 is a flowchart showing print data acquisition processing executed by the mobile terminal according to the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the relative arrangement and the like of the constituent elements described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto only unless otherwise specified.

In this specification, "recording" (sometimes referred to as "printing") is not limited to forming significant information such as characters and figures, and may be meaningless. Furthermore, the case where an image, a pattern, a pattern, or the like is widely formed on a recording medium or the medium is processed, regardless of whether or not it is actualized so that it can be visually perceived by humans.

The term "recording medium" means not only paper used in general recording devices but also a wide range of materials such as cloth, plastic film, metal plate, glass, ceramics, wood, and leather that can accept ink. I shall.

In this embodiment, in communication between a mobile terminal and a multifunction printer (hereinafter referred to as an MFP), authentication or the like is performed by low-speed communication (first communication method) using a short-range wireless communication method, and then high-speed wireless communication is performed. Data is transmitted by switching to communication (second communication method). Specifically, authentication is performed by NFC (Near Field Communication), and communication is taken over by wireless communication of another communication method.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a communication system (hereinafter, system) using wireless communication, which is a typical embodiment of the present invention.

In this system, a web server device 101 and a mobile communication terminal device (hereinafter, mobile terminal) 200 are connected via a network 100 including an ink tank, a LAN and the like. On the other hand, the mobile terminal 200 and a multifunction printer (hereinafter, referred to as an MFP) 300 which is an embodiment of the information processing apparatus are directly connected to each other by wireless communication.

The Web server device 101 includes a print data storage, a screen display Web page management unit, and the like. The web server device 101 may be configured by one server device, or a server system configured by a plurality of server devices may operate as the web server device 101 in this embodiment.

The mobile terminal 200 is an apparatus in which at least two types of wireless communication protocols having different authentication methods and communication speeds are mounted. As the portable terminal, any device such as a personal information terminal such as a PDA (information portable terminal), a mobile phone, a digital camera, a smartphone, or the like can be used as long as it can handle a file to be subjected to a predetermined process. Further, in the present embodiment, a mobile communication terminal will be mainly described as an example, but the communication terminal is not limited to this. The predetermined process is printing by the MFP 300, for example.

The MFP 300 includes a display unit capable of various settings and an operation panel, and has a printer function using an inkjet printer or the like as a printer engine, a scanner function for placing a document on a platen and reading the document, a FAX function, and a telephone function. It is a multifunction printer device.

The network 100 and the Web server device 101 are connected by a wired LAN or a wireless LAN (hereinafter, WLAN). The network 100 and the mobile terminal 200 are connected by a WLAN or a wireless telephone line. Mobile terminal 200 and MFP 300 are connected using the access point function of MFP 300.

In the following description, the present embodiment will be described using an example in which the MFP 300 prints an image based on the received print data.

When the MFP 300 receives the request for acquiring the information on the access point function from the mobile terminal 200 using NFC, the MFP 300 transmits the information to the mobile terminal 200. The information on the access point function is an SSID, a password, etc. for connecting to the MFP 300. The mobile terminal 200 holds the access point function information received from the MFP 300. When the information on the access point function is requested, MFP 300 enters a standby state for connecting to mobile terminal 200 using the access point function.

After that, the mobile terminal 200 receives the print data from the Web server apparatus 101, and after the reception of the print data, connects to the MFP 300 using the access point function of the MFP 300 in the standby state. After the connection is established, the mobile terminal 200 transmits the print data to the MFP 300 by the established connection, and the MFP 300 prints the image based on the received print data. In this way, since the mobile terminal 200 automatically switches to the connection with the MFP 300 after receiving the print data from the Web server apparatus 101, even if the print data is in the Web server apparatus 101, printing can be performed.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a mobile terminal 200 such as a smartphone. A smartphone is a multifunctional mobile phone equipped with a camera, an internet browser, an email function, etc. in addition to the functions of the mobile phone.

In FIG. 2, the NFC unit 201 is a unit that performs communication by using NFC, and the communication can be performed by actually bringing the NFC unit 201 closer to the partner NFC unit within about 10 cm. The WLAN unit 202 is a unit for performing communication using WLAN and is arranged in the device. Note that the communicable range of WLAN is wider than the communicable range of NFC (about 10 cm), and even if the distance between the communication devices is longer than the communicable range of NFC, communication by WLAN is possible. The mobile terminal 200 communicates with the MFP 300 by NFC to acquire/store information regarding the access point function. Then, after receiving the print data required for the printing from the Web server apparatus 101, the WLAN communicates with the MFP 300. Therefore, even after the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 are separated from each other by the NFC communicable distance (about 10 cm) after the information about the access point function is acquired and stored by the NFC, the communication is possible.

The display unit 203 is composed of an LCD display, and the operation unit 204 having an electrostatic touch panel type operation mechanism is arranged on the display. The operation unit 204 detects user operation information. A typical operation method is that the display unit 203 displays a button-shaped menu, and when the user touches the operation unit 204, an event associated with the button portion is issued and the process is executed. The power key 205 is used to turn on/off the power.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a schematic configuration of the MFP 300. In FIG. 3, (a) is an external perspective view and (b) is a top view of the MFP.

The original table 301 is a glass-like transparent table and is used when an original is placed and read by a scanner. The document cover 302 is a cover for preventing the reading light from leaking to the outside when reading with a scanner. The printing paper insertion slot 303 is an insertion slot for setting various sizes of paper. The sheets set here are conveyed one by one to the printing unit (printer engine), perform desired printing, and are ejected from the printing paper ejection port 304.

As shown in (b), an operation display unit 305 and an NFC unit 306 are arranged above the document cover 302. The operation display unit 305 includes keys for performing various operations and an LCD display, and is configured to allow operations and settings related to the MFP 300. The NFC unit 306 is a unit for performing near field communication and is a place where the mobile terminal 200 is actually brought close to. About 10 cm from the NFC unit 306 is the effective distance for communication. The WLAN antenna 307 is an antenna for performing WLAN communication, and is embedded in the document cover 302. The access point unit 308 is a unit used by the mobile terminal 200 to connect to the MFP 300 via the WLAN.

When the access point 308 operates in the access point (AP) mode, for example, a WLAN connection with the mobile terminal 200 may be established on a one-to-one basis, and the mobile terminal 200 may not be able to communicate with other devices. For example, the mobile terminal 200 may transmit data acquired from an external device such as a Web server device, another mobile terminal, or an external PC to the MFP 300 by WLAN. In this case, if a WLAN connection with the MFP 300 has already been established before the acquisition of the data, communication may not be possible with other devices as described above, and the acquisition may not be possible.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the mobile terminal 200 transmits the data to the MFP 300 by the WLAN after the data is acquired from the external device, the acquisition is performed while waiting for the establishment of the connection with the MFP 300. Details will be described later.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile terminal 200.

The mobile terminal 200 includes a main board 401 that controls the entire apparatus, a WLAN unit 416 that performs WLAN communication, and an NFC unit 417 that performs NFC communication.

The CPU 402 of the main board 401 is a system control unit that controls the entire mobile terminal 200. The ROM 403 stores a control program executed by the CPU 402, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 403 controls software such as scheduling and task switch under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 403. The RAM 404 is configured by an SRAM or the like, stores program control variables and the like, and also stores setting values registered by the user, management data of the mobile terminal 200, etc. and is used as a buffer area for various works.

The image memory 405 is composed of a DRAM or the like, and temporarily stores the image data received via the communication unit and the image data read from the data storage unit 412 for the CPU 402 to process. The non-volatile memory 415 is composed of a flash memory or the like, and stores data to be saved even after the power is turned off. For example, there are telephone directory data, information on devices connected in the past, and the like. The memory configuration is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the image memory 405 and the RAM 404 may be shared, or the data storage unit 412 may back up data. Further, although the DRAM is used in this embodiment, it is not limited to this because a hard disk or a non-volatile memory may be used in some cases.

The data conversion unit 406 analyzes page description language (PDL) and the like, and performs data conversion such as color conversion and image conversion. The telephone unit 407 controls a telephone line and processes voice data input and output through the speaker unit 413 to realize telephone communication. The operation unit 408 controls the signal generated by the operation unit 204 described in FIG. A GPS (Global Positioning System) 409 acquires the current latitude and longitude. The display unit 410 electronically controls the display content of the display unit 203 described with reference to FIG. 2, and can perform various input operations, display the operation status and status status of the MFP 300, and the like.

The camera unit 411 has a function of electronically recording and encoding an image input via a lens. The image captured by the camera unit 411 is stored in the data storage unit 412. The speaker unit 413 realizes a function of inputting or outputting a voice for a telephone function and other functions such as alarm notification. The power supply unit 414 controls a portable battery and its supply. The power supply states include a dead battery with no remaining battery power, a power off state in which the power key 205 is not pressed, a normally activated start state (power on state), and an activated but power saving mode. There is a power saving state.

The mobile terminal 200 of this embodiment is equipped with a configuration that executes at least two types of communication methods as wireless communication methods. As the communication method, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal 200 performs wireless communication by WLAN or NFC to perform data communication with another device such as an MFP. At this time, the data is converted into a packet and the packet is transmitted to another device. Conversely, the WLAN unit and the NFC unit receive a packet from another external device, convert the packet into data, and transmit the data to the CPU 402. In this embodiment, the NFC sends connection information for handover, sends jobs, and exchanges billing information. The WLAN takes over the wireless connection from NFC by handover and transmits/receives job data at a higher speed than NFC. The WLAN unit 416 and the NFC unit 417 are connected to each other by a bus cable or the like. The WLAN unit 416 and the NFC unit 417 are units for realizing communication conforming to the standard.

The components 403 to 417 are connected to each other via a system bus 419 managed by the CPU 402.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the MFP 300.

The MFP 300 includes a main board 501 that controls the entire apparatus, a WLAN unit 514 that performs WLAN communication, and an NFC unit 515 that performs NFC communication.

A CPU 502 in the main board 501 is a system control unit that controls the entire MFP 300. The ROM 503 stores a control program executed by the CPU 502, an embedded operating system (OS) program, and the like. In this embodiment, each control program stored in the ROM 503 controls software such as scheduling and task switch under the control of the embedded OS stored in the ROM 503. Some control programs perform charging control, and the NFC unit 515 is used to exchange control commands for charging with the mobile terminal 200.

The RAM 504 is configured by an SRAM or the like, stores program control variables and the like, stores setting values registered by the user, management data of the MFP 300, and the like, and is also used as a buffer area for various works. The non-volatile memory 505 is composed of a flash memory or the like and stores data that should be retained even when the power is turned off. Specifically, it is network connection information, user data, and the like. The image memory 506 is configured by a DRAM or the like, and stores image data received via each communication unit, image data processed by the data conversion unit 507, and the like. Further, similar to the memory configuration of the mobile terminal 200, the memory configuration is not limited to this. The data conversion unit 507 analyzes page description language (PDL) and the like, and converts image data into print data.

An image signal generated by the reading unit 510 controlled by the reading control unit 508 optically reading a document with a CIS image sensor is binarized or halftone processed through an image processing control unit (not shown). Various image processings such as are performed, and high-definition image data is output.

The operation unit 509 and the display unit 511 represent the operation display unit 305 described in FIG. 3, and include keys operated by the user and an LCD for displaying.

The paper feeding unit 512 holds a recording medium such as recording paper. The paper feeding operation can be performed by the paper feeding unit 512 under the control of the recording unit 513. In particular, the paper feed unit may include a plurality of paper feed units in order to hold a plurality of types of paper in one device. In this case, the recording unit 513 selectively controls from which paper feeding unit the paper is fed.

The recording unit 513 performs various kinds of image processing such as smoothing processing, recording density correction processing, and color correction on the image data used for recording through an image processing control unit (not shown) to obtain high-definition image data. Convert and output. Further, the recording unit 513 periodically reads the printer engine information and updates the status information stored in the RAM 504. Specifically, the remaining amount of the ink tank and the state of the recording head are updated.

The MFP 300 is also equipped with two wireless communication methods as in the mobile terminal 200, but since the respective functions are the same as those of the mobile terminal 200, the description thereof will be omitted.

The above-mentioned components 502-515 are mutually connected via a system bus 519 managed by the CPU 502.

Next, some embodiments of the print processing realized by the network system having the above configuration will be described.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a thumbnail 601 of a print candidate image is displayed on the mobile terminal 200.

The thumbnail 601 is a thumbnail of each image data stored in the Web server device 101. When the user presses the image desired to be printed, the focus 602 is displayed, indicating that the image is the print target. The user can select a plurality of images to be printed, and at that time, a plurality of focus 602 can exist on the display unit 203.

The screen shown in FIG. 6 is displayed by, for example, a Web browser stored in the ROM 403 of the mobile terminal 200.

Further, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, in the present exemplary embodiment, the mobile terminal device 200 selects the image selected by the user on the screen of FIG. 6 from the Web server device 101 according to the near field communication between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300. To get from.

That is, even if the user touches the thumbnail on the display screen of FIG. 6, the image does not have to be acquired in response to the touch. In addition, a guide display such as “Please bring it closer to the NFC unit of the MFP.” may be displayed on the display unit 410 of the mobile terminal 200 according to the touch of the thumbnail by the user.

In addition, the user does not want to communicate with the MFP 300 using NFC, but may want to download an image to the mobile terminal 200 and manage the image in the mobile terminal 200, for example. In this case, when the option such as “download” is provided on the guide display and the user selects the option on the screen, the mobile terminal 200 displays the image on the Web server device 101 even if NFC communication is not performed. May be obtained from

If the thumbnails cannot be displayed on one screen, they may be scrolled. After selecting the image desired to be printed, the user brings the NFC unit 201 of the mobile terminal 200 close to the NFC unit 306 of the MFP 300. As a result, communication between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 is started.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the printing process according to the first embodiment.

The processing shown in this flowchart is processing by the mobile terminal 200, and is realized by the CPU 402 executing a program stored in the ROM 403 on the RAM 404. Specifically, for example, after the user selects a thumbnail on the screen of FIG. 6 and the above guide display is displayed, the user brings the NFC unit 201 of the mobile terminal 200 close to the NFC unit 306 of the MFP 300. Then, after the NFC communication between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 is started, the process shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the CPU 402 of the mobile terminal 200.

First, in step S501, the SSID and password of the access point unit 308 built in the MFP 300 are acquired. Note that in the process of step S501, communication between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 is performed using NFC communication.

After this processing is completed, in step S502, the mobile terminal 200 can communicate with the Web server apparatus 101 using the mobile phone line, so that the print data on the Web server apparatus 101 can be acquired. Further, when the mobile terminal 200 is connected to an access point such as WiFi, for example, the connection can be used to communicate with the Web server apparatus 101, and the print data on the Web server apparatus 101 is acquired. be able to. As a result, the communication cost can be reduced as compared with the case where communication is performed using a mobile phone line.

In step S502, print data corresponding to the thumbnail previously selected by the user on the screen shown in FIG. 6 is acquired.

If the SSID and password are not acquired in step S501, the Web server apparatus 101 may not be accessed for acquiring print data in step S502. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the print data Web server apparatus 101 from being accessed even though the print data cannot be transmitted to the MFP via the access point. Alternatively, the print data may be acquired from the Web server apparatus 101 when the user gives an instruction after displaying an error message indicating that the access point cannot be connected.

When the communication processing via the mobile phone line or the access point is completed in step S502, the mobile terminal 200 first attempts to connect to the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 in step S503. In step S503, a WLAN connection is established using the SSID and password of the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 acquired in step S501.

That is, in step S503, the communication with the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 is started in response to the completion of the communication process in step S502.

For example, consider the case of establishing the connection with the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 (S503) and then accessing the Web server apparatus 101 via the access point (S502), instead of the above processing order. In this case, since the connection has already been established with the access point of the MFP 300, it may not be possible to connect to the Web server apparatus 101 via another access point.

In this case, it may be necessary to access the Web server device 101 via the mobile phone line. Alternatively, even though the print data has not yet been transmitted to the MFP 300, the connection with the access point of the MFP 300 must be once disconnected by the user operation. Then, in order to access the Web server device 101, it is necessary to connect to another access point, acquire print data, and then connect again to the access point of the MFP 300.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the processing is performed in the order of S502 and S503, the mobile terminal 200 can appropriately acquire the print data from the Web server apparatus 101 via the access point. Since the mobile terminal 200 connects to the access point of the MFP 300 after obtaining the print data, the connection and disconnection with the access point do not have to be performed.

Subsequent processing is performed via the WLAN, which is capable of higher speed communication than NFC and is capable of communication even outside the effective range of NFC. This is effective for transmitting a relatively large amount of data such as print data, and it is not necessary to bring the NFC unit 201 of the mobile terminal 200 close to the NFC unit 306 of the MFP 300 during transmission of the print data. It also reduces the load.

When the communication between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 via the WLAN is established in step S503, the process proceeds to step S504. In step S504, the print data acquired from web server apparatus 101 in step S502 is transmitted to MFP 300. Then, the MFP 300 prints an image based on the received print data. After the printing is completed, the process proceeds to step S505, and the mobile terminal 200 disconnects the MFP 300 from the access point unit 308. As a result, the state in which the mobile terminal 200 cannot connect to the Internet can be minimized.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, the MFP communicates with the mobile terminal by NFC communication, acquires print data from the Web server device by communication via a mobile phone line or an access point, and then uses the WLAN as the mobile terminal for the MFP. Connect to the access point unit. In this way, when the user wants to print the content on the Web server device even when the MFP is not connected to the network access point, the MFP and the Web server device directly communicate with each other using the communication function between the mobile terminal and the MFP. You can get print data without connecting.

Furthermore, the mobile terminal 200 starts communication with the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 in response to the completion of the communication process with the Web server apparatus 101 via the access point. Therefore, the mobile terminal 200 need not disconnect or reconnect to the access point of the MFP 300 when acquiring print data from the Web server apparatus 101. Therefore, it is possible to easily connect to the access point.

Further, the mobile terminal 200 automatically communicates with the Web server apparatus 101 and with the MFP 300 using WLAN or the like in response to the communication with the MFP 300 by NFC. Therefore, since the above-mentioned three communications are performed by the user bringing the mobile terminal 200 close to the MFP 300 for the NFC communications, the user can easily print the desired image existing in the Web server apparatus 101.

Furthermore, if the user selects a thumbnail on the screen shown in FIG. 6, the user can bring the mobile terminal 200 closer to the MFP 300 and execute NFC communication, thereby printing the image corresponding to the thumbnail. Therefore, for example, after selecting a thumbnail, it is possible to execute NFC communication without waiting for the print data corresponding to the thumbnail to be acquired by the mobile terminal 200.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, NFC is described as an example of near field communication, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other communication methods may be used. Specifically, Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be used. In this case, the mobile terminal 200 includes a Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit instead of the NFC unit 201, and the MFP 300 also includes a Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit instead of the NFC unit 306. Then, by bringing the Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit of the mobile terminal 200 and the Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit of the MFP 300 close to each other, the mobile terminal 200 can acquire the information of the access point function of the MFP 300.

Note that, in the second embodiment, instead of the Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit being provided instead of the NFC unit, both the NFC unit and the Bluetooth (registered trademark) unit may be provided. In this case, the user can select a unit to be used depending on the situation, or can select a unit to be used by either the mobile terminal 200 or the MFP 300.

Further, as an example of communication when the mobile terminal 200 receives print data from the Web server apparatus 101, communication via a mobile phone line and an access point such as WiFi has been described as an example, but other communication methods are used. It may be. Furthermore, although WLAN has been described as an example of the communication method between the mobile terminal 200 and the MFP 300 after the acquisition of print data, another communication method may be used. At this time, if the communication method has a wider communicable distance than NFC, communication is possible even when the mobile terminal 200 is away from the MFP 300. Further, if the communication method has a communication speed higher than that of NFC, print data can be transmitted more efficiently. The communication method is not limited to the example described here, and the communication method can be used alone or a plurality of methods can be used in combination.

<Embodiment 3>
In this embodiment, a print data acquisition process will be described in which some determination processes are added to the steps described in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing print data acquisition processing executed by the mobile terminal according to the third embodiment. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 8 and FIG. 7, in this embodiment, seven processing steps are added to the processing of the first embodiment so that print data can be acquired more appropriately according to the situation. However, the processing to be added is not limited to the example described here, and one judgment may be added or a plurality of judgment processings may be combined and added.

The seven processing steps to be added are as follows.

(1) Step S601
From the information on the access point function of the MFP acquired in step S501, it is determined whether the MFP has been used before.

(2) Step S602
If it is determined in step S601 that the MFP has never been used, information about the MFP is saved.

(3) Step S603
It is determined whether or not the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 is already waiting in a connectable state.

(4) Step S604
If it is determined in step S603 that the MFP 300 is not in a connectable standby state, the MFP 300 shifts to a connection standby state.

(5) Step S605
It is determined whether the print data received in step S502 has already been acquired by the mobile terminal 200.

(6) Step S606
After disconnecting the connection to the access point unit 308 in step S505, it is determined whether or not to end the connection waiting state of the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300.

(7) Step S607
When it is determined in step S606 that the connection waiting state is to be ended, the connection waiting state is ended.

Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To simplify the description, the same description as that described in the first embodiment will be omitted.

First, after executing step S501 as in the first embodiment, in step S601, the mobile terminal 200 checks whether the same information as the information of the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 that has been used before is recorded. If it is determined that the same information is recorded, the recorded information is used, and the process proceeds to step S603. On the other hand, if it is determined that the same information is not recorded or the password is changed, the process proceeds to step S602, and the SSID and password received in step S501 are recorded in the mobile terminal 200.

In step S603, it is checked whether the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 is already in the connection standby state. The connection standby state is a state in which WLAN connection can be performed using the SSID and password held by the mobile terminal 200, but connection and communication have not been established yet.

If it is determined that the MFP 300 is already in the connection standby state at the access point unit 308, the process skips step S604 and proceeds to step S605. On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection standby state is not established, the process advances to step S604 to execute a process for transitioning the connection state between the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 and the mobile terminal 200 to the connection standby state.

It should be noted that the case of not being in the connection standby state means that the access point connection setting of the mobile terminal 200 is OFF, the mobile terminal 200 is in the connection standby state in another communication mode, or another communication mode. It is possible that you are connected with.

If the access point connection setting is OFF, in step S604, a process of automatically turning ON the setting is performed. If the mobile terminal 200 is in a connection standby state or is being connected in another communication mode, the connection standby state or the connection is interrupted, and a transition is made to a connection standby state with the MFP 300.

Although the mobile terminal 200 executes the processes of steps S603 and S604 in this embodiment, the MFP 300 may execute these processes. For example, when the MFP 300 communicates with the mobile terminal 200 by SFC in S501, the MFP may execute the process of S603. Further, the process of step S603 may not be executed, and step S604 may be executed at all times.

When the MFP 300 executes the processes of steps S603 and S604, for example, in S603, it is determined whether the access point connection setting of the MFP 300 is OFF. Then, when the access point connection setting is OFF, the MFP 300 automatically performs a process of turning the setting ON in step S604.

When the MFP 300 executes the process of S603, for example, it is determined whether the MFP 300 is in a connection standby state in another communication mode or is connected in another communication mode. If the MFP 300 is in the connection standby state or is being connected in another communication mode, the connection standby state or the connection is interrupted and the state shifts to the connection standby state with the mobile terminal 200.

Next, in step S605, it is checked whether or not the print data to be received from the Web server device 101 already exists in the mobile terminal 200. Here, when it is determined that the print data exists in the mobile terminal 200, the process skips step S502 and proceeds to step S503. On the other hand, when it is determined that the print data does not exist in the mobile terminal 200, the process executes step S502.

It is also possible to omit step S605 and execute step S502, but in this case, even if desired print data exists in the mobile terminal 200, the same data is downloaded again. .. Therefore, from the viewpoint of preventing duplicate downloads and improving throughput, executing step S605 is advantageous.

In the next steps S503 to S505, the same processing as that described in the first embodiment is executed. In the first embodiment, the SSID and password acquired from the MFP 300 in step S501 are used for connection. On the other hand, in this embodiment, if it is determined in step S601 that the information is already recorded in the mobile terminal, the recorded SSID and password may be used for connection.

Succeedingly, in a step S606, it is determined whether or not the connection waiting state of the access point unit 308 of the MFP 300 is ended. Specifically, when the MFP 300 is placed in the standby state for connecting to the access point unit 308 in step S604, it is determined to end the standby state for connecting to the access point unit 308 in order to restore the state before use. Further, in step S603, the MFP 300 determines that the access point unit 308 is already in the connection standby state, and if the process of step S604 is skipped, it is determined that it is not necessary to end the connection point standby state of the access point unit 308.

If it is determined in step S606 that the connection standby state of the access point unit 308 is to be terminated based on the result of the above determination, the process proceeds to step S607, and the connection standby state of the access point unit 308 is terminated. .. On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection standby state of the access point unit 308 is not to be ended, the process ends as it is.

In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 200 executes steps S606 and S607, but the MFP 300 may execute them. Further, it is also possible to always execute step S607 without executing the determination of step S606 to end the connection standby state to the access point unit 308.

Therefore, according to the embodiment described above, by performing some determination processes in addition to the first embodiment, it is possible to perform the print data acquisition process more suitable for the actual situation, and the user can operate the MFP. The convenience when using can be improved.

In the above-described embodiments, the MFP is described as an example of the information processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to the MFP and can be applied to devices such as a single-function printer, a display, a projector, and a speaker. For example, when a display or a projector is adopted as the information processing device, the data to be displayed is acquired by the mobile terminal from the Web server device. When a speaker is adopted as the information processing device, the data output by voice from the Web server device is acquired by the mobile terminal.

For example, when applied to a display as an information processing device, the mobile terminal acquires the SSID and password of the access point unit included in the display using the NFC unit included in the display. Then, the mobile terminal acquires the content to be displayed on the display from the Web server device, and after the acquisition is completed, connects the mobile terminal and the display using WLAN. Then, the mobile terminal transmits the content to be displayed on the display to the display.

When applied to a speaker, the mobile terminal acquires the SSID and password of the access point unit included in the speaker using the NFC unit included in the speaker. Then, the mobile terminal acquires the music data to be reproduced by the speaker from the Web server device, and after the acquisition is completed, the mobile terminal and the speaker are connected using WLAN. After that, the mobile terminal transmits music data to be reproduced by the speaker to the speaker. Even when applied to other devices in this way, the methods shown in Embodiments 1 to 3 can be applied.

The “print data” described in the above embodiments may be an image file to be printed, a vector data file such as graphic data, or a document file. The file format may be various types such as Jpeg, PDF, Ping, Gif, or the like, or a document file, a spreadsheet file, or the like. For example, when data in various data formats is stored in the Web server apparatus 101, the Web server apparatus 101 or another server apparatus may convert the data into a predetermined data format. Then, the converted data may be transmitted to the mobile terminal 200. The predetermined data format may be, for example, a bitmap image or a PDF file.

Further, in the above embodiments, the web server device is described as an example of the external device from which the mobile terminal 200 acquires data, but the invention is not limited to this, and the data is acquired from an external device such as another mobile terminal or an external PC. This may be the case.

Further, in the above embodiment, the example in which the access point 308 of the MFP 300 operates in the access point (AP) mode and the WLAN connection with the mobile terminal 200 is established one-to-one is shown. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the MFP 300 and the mobile terminal 200 may be connected in a one-to-one connection in the ad hoc mode. Even in this case, the mobile terminal 200 acquires data from the Web server device, another mobile terminal, an external device such as an external PC, and then establishes a connection with the MFP 300. As a result, it is possible to avoid a case where the mobile terminal 200 is unable to acquire data from an external device because the mobile terminal 200 establishes a one-to-one connection with the MFP 300.

The present invention can also be achieved by supplying a recording medium storing a program code that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus, and causing a computer of the system or apparatus to read and execute the program code stored in the recording medium. It goes without saying that it will be done. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention. As the storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, a ROM, a DVD, etc. may be used. it can.

Further, the present invention not only realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments by executing the program code read by the computer. In the present invention, an operating system (OS) running on a computer performs a part or all of actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments. The case is also included.

Further, the program code for realizing the functions of the present embodiment may be executed by one computer (CPU, MPU), or may be executed by the cooperation of a plurality of computers. Good. Further, the program code may be executed by a computer, or hardware such as a circuit for realizing the function of the program code may be provided. Alternatively, a part of the program code may be realized by hardware and the rest may be executed by a computer.

101: Web server device, 200: Mobile terminal, 201: NFC unit,
300: MFP, 306: NFC unit, 308: Access point unit

Claims (24)

A communication method comprising: a communication terminal having a display unit; and a printing device capable of communicating with the communication terminal according to a first wireless communication system or a second wireless communication system,
A display control step in which the communication terminal executes a process for displaying on the display unit a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in the Web server;
The second wireless communication method of the printing apparatus , based on wireless communication with the communication terminal according to the first wireless communication method, with the communication terminal via an access point included in the printing apparatus. Transition process to transition to a predetermined state where direct connection by
The communication terminal selects an image from the plurality of images based on a user instruction on the screen, and downloads an image downloaded from the Web server as a print target to the printing device that has moved to the predetermined state in the transfer step. A transmitting step of transmitting by the direct connection,
A printing step in which the printing device prints the image transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step,
Based on the fact that a plurality of images to be printed are selected based on a user instruction on the screen and wireless communication is performed with the printing device according to the first wireless communication method, the transmitting step In the communication method, the communication terminal transmits the plurality of images to be printed to the printing device. A process for the communication terminal to download an image to be printed selected based on a user instruction on the screen based on wireless communication with the printing device according to the first wireless communication method. The execution process to be executed,
The communication method according to claim 1, wherein in the transmitting step, the communication terminal transmits the image to be printed, which is downloaded by the processing in the executing step, to the printing device. A communication method comprising: a communication terminal having a display unit; and a printing device capable of communicating with the communication terminal according to a first wireless communication system or a second wireless communication system,
A display control step in which the communication terminal executes a process for displaying on the display unit a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in a Web server;
Based on wireless communication according to the first wireless communication system between the printing device and the communication terminal, a predetermined state in which the printing device can be directly connected to the communication terminal by the second wireless communication system is set. Transition process to transition,
A process for the communication terminal to download an image to be printed selected based on a user instruction on the screen based on wireless communication with the printing device according to the first wireless communication method. The execution process to be executed,
A transmission step in which the communication terminal transmits the image to be printed downloaded by the processing in the execution step to the printing apparatus that has transitioned to the predetermined state in the transition step by the direct connection;
A printing step in which the printing device prints the image transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step. A communication method comprising: a communication terminal having a display unit; and a printing device capable of communicating with the communication terminal according to a first wireless communication system or a second wireless communication system,
A display control step in which the communication terminal executes a process for displaying on the display unit a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in a Web server;
Based on wireless communication according to the first wireless communication system between the printing device and the communication terminal, a predetermined state in which the printing device can be directly connected to the communication terminal by the second wireless communication system is set. Transition process to transition,
The communication terminal selects an image from the plurality of images based on a user instruction on the screen, and downloads an image downloaded from the Web server as a print target to the printing device that has moved to the predetermined state in the transfer step. A transmitting step of transmitting by the direct connection,
A printing step in which the printing device prints the image transmitted from the communication terminal in the transmitting step;
The printing apparatus, based on the completion of printing in the printing step, an end step of ending the predetermined state of the printing apparatus,
Based on the fact that a plurality of images to be printed are selected based on a user instruction on the screen and wireless communication is performed with the printing apparatus according to the first wireless communication method, the transmitting step In the communication terminal, the plurality of images to be printed are transmitted to the printing device,
Before the wireless communication between the communication terminal and the printing device according to the first wireless communication method, if the printing device is already in the predetermined state, the ending step is not executed. Communication method. The printing apparatus further includes a determination step of determining whether to shift the printing apparatus to the predetermined state based on the state of the printing apparatus,
Wherein in the transition process, the printing apparatus, according to the judgment in the judgment step, the method of communication according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shifting the printing device to the predetermined state. If the printing device is already in the predetermined state before the wireless communication between the communication terminal and the printing device according to the first wireless communication method, the transition in the transition step is not performed. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein: Based on the fact that printing in the printing process is completed, the printing apparatus, in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a termination step of terminating the predetermined state of the printing device The communication method described. Before the wireless communication between the communication terminal and the printing device according to the first wireless communication method, if the printing device is already in the predetermined state, the ending step is not executed. The communication method according to claim 7 . 9. The communication method according to claim 8 , wherein, in the transition step, the printing apparatus transitions to the predetermined state by changing a setting for direct connection by the second wireless communication method. .. The communication method according to claim 3 , wherein the direct connection is performed by connecting the communication terminal to an access point included in the printing apparatus. Wherein in the transition process, the printing apparatus, communication method according to claim 1 or 10 wherein the communication terminal to the access point, characterized in that transition to a state connectable. When the printing device is connected in another communication mode different from the communication mode using the access point, the printing device interrupts the connection in the other communication mode in the transition step. The communication method according to 10 or 11 . The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the communication terminal further includes a releasing step of releasing the direct connection based on completion of printing in the printing step. The communication terminal uses the wireless communication according to the first wireless communication method with the printing apparatus to print the connection information for directly connecting to the printing apparatus by the second wireless communication method. An acquisition process that is acquired from the device,
An establishment step in which the communication terminal uses the connection information acquired in the acquisition step to establish a direct connection by the second wireless communication method with the printing apparatus that has transitioned to the predetermined state in the transition step. And further including,
Wherein the transmitting step, the method of communication according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that transmitting the image by the direct connection established in the establishing step. 15. The communication method according to claim 14 , wherein in the establishing step, a direct connection is established with the printing apparatus by the second wireless communication method using the connection information after the image is downloaded. The communication method according to claim 15 , wherein the image is downloaded by using the second wireless communication method. The communication terminal cannot communicate with the Web server when a direct connection with the printing apparatus is established by the second wireless communication method,
In the establishing step, after the communication process for downloading the image by the second wireless communication system is completed, the connection information is used to directly communicate with the printing device by the second wireless communication system. The communication method according to claim 16 , wherein a connection is established. It said first wireless communication system, communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the NFC. The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 , wherein the first wireless communication method is Bluetooth (registered trademark). The second wireless communication system, communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, characterized in that it is a wireless LAN. The screen displayed by the processing in the display control step includes a plurality of thumbnails corresponding to the plurality of images,
Wherein by selection from a user indicated by the plurality thumbnail is performed The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the image to be printed from the plurality of images is selected. The first wireless communication system is a short-range wireless communication system,
On the display unit, a display prompting to bring the communication terminal closer to the printing device based on the communication terminal being selected from the plurality of images by a user instruction on the screen displayed in the display control step The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 21 , further comprising a guide display control step of executing processing for performing. A communication system comprising: a communication terminal having a display unit; and a printing device capable of communicating with the communication terminal by a first wireless communication system or a second wireless communication system,
The communication terminal,
Display control means for executing processing for displaying on the display unit a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in the Web server;
An image selected from the plurality of images based on a user instruction on the screen and downloaded as a print target from the Web server, the second wireless communication with the communication terminal via an access point included in the printing apparatus. A predetermined state capable of direct connection according to the method, to the printing device, the transmission means for transmitting by the direct connection,
The printing device is
Transition means for transitioning to the predetermined state based on wireless communication according to the first wireless communication method with the communication terminal;
A printing unit that prints the image transmitted by the transmitting unit,
A plurality of images to be printed are selected based on a user instruction on the screen, and based on the fact that wireless communication according to the first wireless communication method is performed between the printing device and the communication terminal, The transmission unit transmits the plurality of images to be printed to the printing apparatus. A communication system comprising: a communication terminal having a display unit; and a printing device capable of communicating with the communication terminal by a first wireless communication system or a second wireless communication system,
The communication terminal,
Display control means for executing processing for displaying on the display unit a screen for selecting an image to be printed from a plurality of images stored in the Web server;
Execution means for executing a process for downloading an image to be printed selected based on a user instruction on the screen, based on wireless communication with the printing device according to the first wireless communication method; ,
Transmission means for transmitting the image to be printed downloaded by the processing by the execution means to the printing device in a predetermined state capable of being directly connected to the communication terminal by the second wireless communication method by the direct connection And have,
The printing device is
Transition means for transitioning to the predetermined state based on wireless communication according to the first wireless communication method with the communication terminal;
A printing unit that prints the image transmitted from the communication terminal by the transmitting unit.

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