JP6721089B2 - Output program and mobile terminal - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an output program that outputs content data and a mobile terminal that executes the output program.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an application that allows a user to specify content data and causes an output device to perform an output operation for the specified content data. For example, the application described in Patent Document 1 causes the user to specify the image data stored in the mobile terminal, and causes the printer to print the image indicated by the image data.

JP 2012-203742 A

In recent years, the method of specifying content data has been diversified, and development of an interface suitable for each is required. For example, an interface for extracting a desired area from a map image and an interface for editing an image printed on the surface of a CD-ROM or the like are significantly different. Therefore, there is a tendency to develop a plurality of programs having a designated interface specialized for a particular designation method.

On the other hand, the processing for causing the output device to execute the output operation may vary greatly depending on the manufacturer or model of the output device. Therefore, in order to execute the processing, it is necessary to develop a program suitable for each output device. However, it is extremely difficult to develop a plurality of programs having an optimum specification interface for a specific specification method and further mount the optimum processing for causing the output device to execute the output operation in each program. In particular, when it is attempted to cause a plurality of output devices having different specifications to execute an output operation, there is a high possibility that the implementation of the designated interface will be affected by the implementation load of processing that is optimal for each output device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an output program capable of outputting content data designated through a program having a designated interface to an output device suitable for the program. To provide.

(1) The output program described in this specification can be read by a mobile terminal including a communication unit and a storage unit. The communication unit can communicate with a plurality of output devices via a communication network. The output device can perform at least one of a plurality of output operations for outputting content data. The storage unit stores a boot source program readable by the mobile terminal and can store a plurality of sets of program identification information and apparatus identification information corresponding to each other. The program identification information is information for identifying the activation source program. The device identification information is information for identifying the output device. The activation source program causes the user to specify the content data, activates the output program, and provides the output program with specified data information for identifying the specified content data. Can be executed by. The output program can cause the portable terminal to execute an acquisition process of acquiring information provided from the activation source program in response to being activated by the activation source program. In the acquisition process, at least the designated data information is acquired. The output program determines in the first determination process that the program identification information is added to the designated data information to determine whether it is acquired in the acquisition process, and that the program identification information is acquired in the first determination process. In response to this, a second determination process of determining whether or not the device identification information associated with the program identification information is stored in the storage unit, and the device identification information is stored. A first determination process of determining the device identification information as the designated device information according to the determination made by the second determination process, and an output instruction process of transmitting output instruction information to the output device identified by the designated device information. And the mobile terminal. The output instruction information is information for outputting the content data identified by the designated data information.

According to the above configuration, the content data identified by the designated data information acquired from the boot source program is output to the output device associated with the program identification information of the boot source program. As a result, the content data whose designation has been accepted by the boot source program can be output to an output device suitable for the boot source program.

(2) Preferably, the output program includes a third determination process of determining whether or not the device identification information has been acquired by the acquisition process in addition to the designated data information, and the device identification information having been acquired. In response to the determination in the third determination process, a fourth determination process for determining whether or not the output device identified by the device identification information is communicable through the communication unit, and a communication enabled and the fourth determination process. According to the determination made in step 2, the second determination process of determining the device identification information acquired in the acquisition process as the designated device information, and the third determination process of not acquiring the device identification information Alternatively, the first determination process is executed by the mobile terminal in response to the determination that communication is impossible in the fourth determination process.

According to the above configuration, when the activation source program further receives the designation of the output device, the output device can be caused to execute the output operation.

(3) Preferably, in the third determination process, the output program determines whether or not the program identification information and the device identification information have been acquired in the acquisition process in addition to the designated data information, and the program In response to the third determination process determining that the identification information and the device identification information have been acquired, a storage process in which the program identification information and the device identification information are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit is performed on the mobile terminal. Let it run.

According to the above configuration, the device identification information specified by the user through the boot source program is stored in the storage unit in association with the program identification information of the boot source program. As a result, the output device indicated by the device identification information can be caused to perform the output operation at the next startup by the startup source program.

(4) Preferably, the mobile terminal includes an operation unit. The output program executes a fifth judgment process for judging whether or not the designated operation information is acquired in the acquisition process in response to the judgment in the first judgment process that the program identification information has not been acquired. Let the mobile device execute. The designated operation information is information for identifying a designated operation which is the output operation to be executed by the output device. The output program is capable of executing the designated operation identified by the designated operation information and communicating through the communication unit in response to determining in the fifth determination process that the designated operation information has been acquired. A first receiving process for receiving, through the operation unit, a search process for searching for an output device, and a user operation for designating one of the device identification information of the output device found in the search process; The mobile terminal is caused to execute a third determination process of determining the device identification information designated in the process as the designated device information. The output instruction information is information that causes the content data identified by the designated data information to be output by the designated operation.

According to the above configuration, the user is allowed to select one of the output devices capable of executing the specified operation identified by the specified operation information acquired from the starting source program, and therefore the output device suitable for the starting source program is output. The action can be performed.

(5) Preferably, the output program designates one of the plurality of output actions as the designated action in response to determining in the fifth determination process that the designated action information has not been acquired. A second acceptance process for accepting a user operation to be performed through the operation unit, and a search process for searching for the output device capable of executing the designated operation designated in the second acceptance process and communicable through the communication unit, The mobile terminal is caused to execute the first acceptance processing and the third determination processing.

According to the above configuration, since the user is allowed to select the designated operation for outputting the content data and the output device capable of executing the designated operation, it is possible to cause the output device suitable for the activation source program to perform the designated operation.

(6) Preferably, the output program stores the program identification information acquired in the acquisition processing and the device identification information specified in the first reception processing in association with each other, and stores the storage processing in the storage unit. Let the mobile device execute.

According to the above configuration, the device identification information designated by the user through the output program is stored in the storage unit in association with the program identification information of the activation source program. As a result, the output device indicated by the device identification information can be caused to perform the output operation at the next startup by the startup source program.

(7) Preferably, the output program causes the portable terminal to execute a providing process for providing the boot source program with the designated device information determined in the first determining process or the third determining process.

According to the above configuration, the device identification information of the output device suitable for the boot source program can be recognized by the boot source program.

(8) Preferably, the mobile terminal includes a display unit. The output program causes the mobile terminal to execute a preview display process for displaying the preview screen on the display unit. The preview screen displays the preview image showing the execution result of the output operation according to the output instruction information, a device switching object corresponding to the switching of the designated device information, and an output instruction corresponding to the execution of the output instruction process. Including objects and. The output program receives a user operation for selecting an object through the operation unit, and the search processing and the first reception processing in response to receiving the selection of the device switching object through the third reception processing. A reception process is executed by the mobile terminal, and the output instruction process is executed by the mobile terminal in response to the selection of the output instruction object being received by the third reception process.

According to the above configuration, the output device determined in the determination process can be changed to the output device desired by the user. As a result, it is possible to cause the output device suitable for the activation source program to execute the output operation.

(9) Preferably, the output program is started by the OS of the portable terminal that has received a user operation for instructing start of the output program, not by the start processing by the start program. A fourth determination process of determining the device identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the program identification information of the output program as the designated device information, and a user operation of designating the designated data information. A fourth reception process for receiving through the unit, the output instruction information for causing the portable terminal to execute, and in the output instruction process, outputting the content data identified by the designated data information designated by the fourth reception process. , Through the communication unit to the output device identified by the designated device information determined in the fourth determination process.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to output the content data, the designation of which is accepted by the output program, to the output device suitable for the output program.

(10) The mobile terminal described in this specification includes a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit. The communication unit can communicate with a plurality of output devices via a communication network. The output device can perform at least one of a plurality of output operations for outputting content data. The storage unit stores a boot source program readable by the mobile terminal and can store a plurality of sets of program identification information and apparatus identification information corresponding to each other. The program identification information is information for identifying the activation source program. The device identification information is information for identifying the output device. The control unit that executes the activation source program causes a user to specify the content data, activates the output program, and provides the output program with specified data information for identifying the specified content data. It is possible to execute the activation process. The control unit that executes the output program activated by the activation source program can execute an acquisition process that acquires information provided from the activation source program. In the acquisition process, at least the designated data information is acquired. The control unit that executes the output program adds the program identification information to the designated data information and determines whether or not the first identification process is obtained in the obtaining process; and the control unit that obtains the program identification information. According to the determination made in the first determination process, a second determination process of determining whether or not the device identification information associated with the program identification information is stored in the storage unit, and the device identification information is A first determination process of determining the device identification information as designated device information in response to the determination made by the second determination process that the information is stored, and output instruction information to the output device identified by the designated device information. And an output instruction process for transmitting. The output instruction information is information for outputting the content data identified by the designated data information.

According to the present invention, since the content data identified by the designated data information acquired from the boot source program is output to the output device associated with the program identification information of the boot source program, it is suitable for the boot source program. The output device can be caused to output the content data.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a recording system 100 according to the embodiment. 2A is a block diagram of the multi-function device 10, and FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the mobile terminal 50. FIG. 3 is an example of information stored in the data storage area 62B, where (A) shows a device information list, (B) shows a device change flag, and (C) shows a registered device ID. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the external activation process. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the device determination process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of device selection processing. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the standard activation process. 8A and 8B show display examples of the display unit 53, where FIG. 8A shows a menu screen and FIG. 8B shows a label editing screen before a label image is edited. 9A and 9B are display examples of the display unit 53, where FIG. 9A shows the label edit screen after the label image is edited, and FIG. 9B shows the operation selection screen. FIG. 10 is a display example of the display unit 53, where (A) shows a device selection screen and (B) shows a preview screen. 11A and 11B are display examples of the display unit 53, where FIG. 11A shows the main screen and FIG. 11B shows the acquisition source selection screen. 11A and 11B are display examples of the display unit 53, where FIG. 11A shows a data selection screen and FIG. 11B shows a preview screen. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a sharing function realized by the sharing API.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a recording system 100 according to this embodiment. The recording system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of multifunction devices 10A and 10B (hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “compound device 10”) and a mobile terminal 50. The multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 are configured to be communicable via the communication network 101. The communication network 101 may be, for example, a wired LAN (abbreviation of Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, or a combination thereof.

[Complex machine 10]
As shown in FIG. 2A, the multifunction device 10 includes a printer unit 11, a scanner unit 12, a FAX unit 13, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 25, and a mounting unit 26. , CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit) 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication bus 33 are mainly provided. The constituent elements of the multi-function peripheral 10 are connected to each other through the communication bus 33. The multifunction device 10 is an example of an output device.

[Printer unit 11, scanner unit 12, FAX unit 13]
The printer unit 11 executes a print operation for recording an image represented by image data on a recording sheet. The recording paper is an example of a sheet or a recording medium. As the recording method of the printer unit 11, a known method such as an inkjet method or an electrophotographic method can be adopted. The scanner unit 12 executes a scanning operation of reading an image recorded on a document and generating image data. The FAX unit 13 executes a FAX transmission operation and a FAX reception operation of transmitting and receiving image data in a method based on the FAX protocol.

The printing operation and the FAX transmission operation of the plurality of operations described above are examples of the output operation for outputting the content indicated by the content data. Note that the operations performed by the multifunction machine 10 are not limited to these. As an example of the output operation, the multi-function device 10 may execute a media saving operation of storing the content data acquired from the mobile terminal 50 in the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting unit 26. As another example of the output operation, the multi-function peripheral 10 may display an image represented by the image data acquired from the mobile terminal 50 on the display unit 23.

The output operation includes a label print operation for recording a disk-shaped image (hereinafter referred to as “label image”) on the surface of a CD-ROM, an embossing operation for forming irregularities on the surface of a card, a postcard, and the like. A postcard printing operation for recording an image on the fabric, a garment printing operation for recording the image on the cloth, and the like may be included. These operations can be executed only by an output device having dedicated hardware for recording an image on a recording medium (for example, CD-ROM, card, postcard, cloth) different from general recording paper. Further, the output operation includes a bookbinding operation for binding a plurality of recording sheets on which an image is recorded, a 3D printing operation for generating a three-dimensional structure based on CAD data, an embroidery operation for generating an image by sewing a thread on cloth, and the like. May be included. These operations can also be realized only by the output device having dedicated hardware.

The operations that can be executed by the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B may be different. In the present embodiment, the multi-function peripheral 10A can execute a print operation, a FAX transmission operation, and a label print operation, and the multi-function peripheral 10B can execute a print operation, a media storage operation, and a label print operation. Further, the output device is not limited to the one capable of performing a plurality of operations, and may be capable of performing only a single operation. The MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base) of the multifunction device 10 defines, for example, a device ID for identifying the multifunction device 10 and operation information indicating an operation that can be executed by the multifunction device 10. Good. The motion information may include, for example, a motion ID for identifying a motion that can be executed. The device ID is an example of device identification information, and the action ID is an example of action identification information.

[Display 23]
The display unit 23 includes a display screen that displays various types of information. As the display unit 23, a liquid crystal display (abbreviation of Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (abbreviation of Organic Electro-Luminescence Display), or the like can be adopted.

[Operation unit 24]
The operation unit 24 receives a user operation for selecting an object displayed on the display screen of the display unit 23. Specifically, the operation unit 24 has a button, and outputs various operation signals associated with the pressed button to the CPU 31. Furthermore, the operation unit 24 may include a film-shaped touch sensor that is superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 23. That is, the display unit 23 may be configured as a touch panel display.

The “object” refers to an image that can be selected by the user operating the operation unit 24. As an example, the object is a character string displayed on the display unit 23, one of the objects is highlighted by pressing the direction key of the operation unit 24, and is displayed by pressing the enter button of the operation unit 24. The light-displayed object may be selected. As another example, when the operation unit 24 is a touch panel, the object may be an icon, a button, a link, or the like displayed on the display unit 23, and the object displayed at the touch position may be selected.

The operation unit 24 implemented as a touch panel receives a user operation of touching the display screen of the display unit 23. The operation unit 24 also outputs position information indicating the position on the display screen touched by the user. The position information can be expressed, for example, as coordinates (x, y) on the xy plane in which the upper left corner of the display screen is the origin, the rightward direction is the positive x-axis direction, and the downward direction is the positive y-axis direction. A well-known method such as an electrostatic capacitance method or a resistance film method can be adopted for the touch sensor.

It should be noted that the term “touch” in this specification includes all operations for bringing an input medium into contact with the display screen. That is, a tap operation for separating the touched input medium from the display screen within a predetermined time, a long touch operation for holding the touched input medium on the display screen, a slide operation for sliding the touched input medium on the display screen, a display screen A flick operation in which the acceleration of the input medium that slides up is equal to or greater than a threshold value, a pinch-in operation in which two input media that have touched different positions on the display screen are slid toward each other, and two touch positions that touch different positions on the display screen. A pinch-out operation or the like in which the input media are slid in directions away from each other is an example of touch.

Further, even if the input medium does not touch the display screen, bringing the input medium close to a position where the distance from the display screen is very small may be included in the concept of the “touch”. Furthermore, the input medium may be a user's finger, a touch pen, or the like. Hereinafter, tapping of the position of an icon displayed on the display unit 53 will be described as an example of a user operation for selecting the icon.

[Communication unit 25]
The communication unit 25 is an interface for communicating with an external device through the communication network 101. That is, the multifunction device 10 outputs various information to the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25 and receives various data or various information from the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25. The specific communication procedure of the communication unit 25 is not particularly limited, but Wi-Fi (registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance) can be used, for example.

[Mounting part 26]
The mounting unit 26 is an interface to which a portable storage medium is attached/detached. The CPU 31 can read data or information from the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting portion 26, or can write data or information on the portable storage medium mounted on the mounting portion 26. The specific example of the portable storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or the like.

[CPU 31]
The CPU 31 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. The CPU 31 acquires various programs described below from the storage unit 32 and executes the programs, based on various information output from the operation unit 24, various information acquired from the external device through the communication unit 25, and the like. That is, the CPU 31 and the storage unit 32 configure an example of the control unit.

[Memory unit 32]
The storage unit 32 has a program storage area 32A and a data storage area 32B. An OS (abbreviation of Operating System) 34 and a control program 35 are stored in the program storage area 32A. The control program 35 may be a single program or an aggregate of a plurality of programs. The data storage area 32B stores data or information required to execute the control program 35.

It should be noted that "data" and "information" in this specification are common in that they are bits or bit strings that can be handled by a computer. “Data” refers to data that can be handled by a computer without considering the meaning of each bit. On the other hand, “information” refers to information in which the operation of the computer branches depending on the meaning of each bit. Further, the “instruction” is a control signal for prompting the destination device to perform the next operation, and may include information, or have a property as information itself. There is also.

Further, “data” and “information” have the same data and information as long as they are recognized as having the same meaning content even if the format (for example, text format, binary format, flag format, etc.) is changed for each computer. Treated as. For example, information indicating "two" is stored as text information of "0x32" in ASCII code in one computer, and is stored as binary information of "10" in binary notation in another computer. May be done.

However, the above-mentioned distinction between "data" and "information" is not strict, and exceptional handling is also allowed. For example, data may be temporarily treated as information, or information may be temporarily treated as data. What is treated as data in one device may be treated as information in another device. Furthermore, information may be extracted from the data or data may be extracted from the information.

The storage unit 32 is, for example, a RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory), a ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (abbreviation of Electrically Erasable Programmable vCPU), and a HDD (HD). It is configured by a buffer or the like or a combination thereof.

The storage unit 32 may be a computer-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium is a non-transmission medium. In addition to the above examples, the non-transmission medium also includes a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM. The non-transmission medium is also a tangible medium. On the other hand, an electric signal that carries a program downloaded from a server or the like on the Internet is a computer-readable signal medium that is a kind of computer-readable medium, but a non-transitory computer-readable storage. Not included in the media.

The program stored in the program storage area 32A is executed by the CPU 31. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting the CPU 31. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that “the program A executes the process A” may mean that “the CPU 31 executes the process A described in the program A”. The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described below.

In addition, the program stored in the program storage area 32A determines an event and operates according to the determination result. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting the determination. That is, in the following description, the description that "the control program executes the process A according to the condition A" is "determines whether the control program is the condition A. The control program makes a positive determination. The process A is executed according to the above. The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described below.

The program stored in the program storage area 32A specifies, acquires, extracts, or selects data or the like. When the program specifies the data etc., for example, the data matching the condition is specified from the plurality of data etc., and the information for identifying the data etc. itself or the data etc. is stored in a predetermined storage area. Refers to the process of storing. The information for identifying the data or the like is, for example, identification information for identifying the data or the like, an index of an array in which the data or the like is stored, a pointer of a storage area in which the data or the like is stored, or the like. The same applies to the process in which the program acquires, extracts, or selects data or the like. The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described below.

The OS 34 is an API (Application) for controlling the printer unit 11, the scanner unit 12, the FAX unit 13, the display unit 23, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, the mounting unit 26, and the like, which are the hardware configuring the multifunction peripheral 10. It is a basic program that provides (Programming Interface). That is, each program described above controls each hardware by calling the API provided by the OS 34. However, in this specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting the OS 34. That is, in the following description, the description that "the program B controls the hardware C" may mean that "the program B controls the hardware C through the API of the OS 34". The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described below.

[Mobile device 50]
As shown in FIG. 2B, the mobile terminal 50 mainly includes a display unit 53, an operation unit 54, a communication unit 55, a CPU 61, a storage unit 62, and a communication bus 63. The display unit 53, the operation unit 54, the communication unit 55, the CPU 61, the storage unit 62, and the communication bus 63 included in the mobile terminal 50 include the display unit 23, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, the CPU 31, which are included in the multifunction peripheral 10. The configuration is the same as that of the storage unit 32 and the communication bus 33, so description thereof will be omitted. The CPU 61 and the storage unit 62 are an example of a control unit. The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or the like.

An OS 64, an output program 65, a content designation program 66, and a program A (not shown) are stored in the program storage area 62A of the storage unit 62. The content designation program 66 and the program A are examples of activation source programs. Further, in the data storage area 62B of the storage unit 62, various kinds of information shown in FIG. 3 are stored. Further, the data storage area 62B may be provided with a content data folder in which content data is stored. The content data may be, for example, image data, photo data, document data, spreadsheet data, presentation data, moving image data, music data, or the like.

The display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 50 is divided into a common display area 80 and a program display area 81, as shown in FIGS. In the common display area 80, a status bar is displayed by the OS 64 regardless of the display content of the program display area 81. Various information is displayed on the status bar by the OS 64. In the status bar, for example, the title of the screen displayed in the program display area 81, the icon indicating the remaining battery level of the mobile terminal 50, the icon indicating the communication state of the communication unit 55, and the push received by the mobile terminal 50 from the external service. An icon or the like indicating the notification is displayed. In the program display area 81, a screen generated by the program running in the foreground is displayed.

Hereinafter, when it is described that “the program causes the display unit 53 to display a screen”, the program screen is displayed in the program display area 81 and the status bar is displayed in the common display area 80. The program screen is a screen displayed in the program display area 81 according to a program instruction. However, the display unit 53 can switch between a partial screen mode in which the display area is divided into a common display area 80 and a program display area 81, and a full screen mode in which the entire display area is the program display area 81. Good.

The OS 64 may be, for example, Android (registered trademark of Google Inc.) OS, iOS (registered trademark of Cico Systems, Inc.), Windows Phone (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation) Operating System, or the like. The OS 64 can execute a plurality of programs installed in the mobile terminal 50 in parallel. The plurality of programs are virtually executed in parallel by a time division multiplexing method, for example. Further, the OS 64 executes one of a plurality of programs executed in parallel in the foreground, and executes the other programs in the background.

The foreground is, for example, a state in which the program screen resulting from the execution of the program is displayed in most of the display area of the display unit 53. The “most part of the display area” may refer to the program display area 81, for example. The background is, for example, a state in which a program screen resulting from execution of a program different from the program is displayed in most of the display area of the display unit 53. That is, the portable terminal 50 can cause the display unit 53 to display only the program screen resulting from the execution of the program executed in the foreground among the plurality of programs executed in parallel.

The output program 65 is a program that causes the multi-function peripheral 10 connected through the communication unit 55 to execute an output operation for content data. The output program 65 transmits, for example, recording instruction information for executing the print operation, FAX instruction information for executing the FAX transmission operation, and the like to the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 55. The recording instruction information and the FAX instruction information are examples of output instruction information. The output program 65 can also send output instruction information for causing the multi-function peripheral 10 to perform label print operation, embossing operation, postcard print operation, garment print operation bookbinding operation, 3D print operation, embroidery operation, and the like. Good. Furthermore, the output program 65 displays a preview screen on the display unit 53 before transmitting the output instruction information.

The content designating program 66 allows the user to designate at least one of the content data, the output operation, and the output device. In addition, the content designation program 66 can activate the output program 65 by designating at least one of the program ID, the designation data ID, the designation operation ID, and the designation device ID. These processes executed by the content designation program 66 are examples of startup processes. Further, the program A is another example of the content designation program that executes the activation process.

Hereinafter, the content data specified by the user will be referred to as “specified data”, the output operation specified by the user will be referred to as “specified operation”, and the output device specified by the user will be referred to as “specified device”. Further, the designated operation and the designated device may be designated in advance by a program. The program ID is an example of program identification information for identifying the content designation program 66, the designated data ID is an example of designated data information for identifying designated data, and the designated device ID is for identifying a designated device. The designated action information is an example of the designated device information, and the designated action ID is an example of the designated action information for identifying the designated action.

The content designation program 66 according to the present embodiment edits a label image according to a user operation and provides the label image data indicating the label image to the output program 65 as designation data. However, the specific example of the content designation program 66 is not limited to this. As an example, the program A may cause the user to specify one of a plurality of pieces of photograph data stored in the data storage area 62B and provide the designated photograph data to the output program 65. As another example, the program A may cause the user to designate an arbitrary area of the map image and provide the output program 65 with image data indicating the map image of the designated area.

The content designation program 66 can activate the output program 65 as a so-called plug-in, for example. In this case, the content designation program 66 may execute the plug-in API for activating the application as a plug-in, using the information specifying the output program 65, the URI, and the specification information as arguments. The argument specified by the plug-in API may be, for example, intent format information used by the Android OS. Alternatively, the content designation program 66 may activate the output program 65 by executing an explicit sharing API described later. The argument specified by the explicit sharing API may be common to the plug-in API.

The output program 65 is activated by, for example, the content designation program 66. The output program 65 is a program that acquires the program ID, the designated data ID, the designated device ID, and the designated operation ID provided from the content designation program 66, and causes the designated device to execute the designated operation for the designated data. The output program 65 can acquire various information provided from the content designation program 66, for example, by referring to the intent format argument. The output program 65 transmits, for example, output instruction information for executing the label print operation to the multifunction machine 10 via the communication unit 55.

Further, the output program 65 can operate according to various information acquired from the content designating program 66, and can provide the content designating program 66 with generation information generated by the operation. The generation information may be, for example, image data generated by the output program 65, a URL indicating the location of the generated image data, and result information indicating the operation result of the output program 65.

As an example, the output program 65 may provide the generation information to the content designation program 66 by adding the generation information to the argument in the intent format. The argument to which the output program 65 added the generation information is provided to the content designation program 66 as a return value. Thereby, the content designation program 66 can acquire various information included in the return value. As another example, the output program 65 may provide the generation information to the content designation program 66 as a return value of the plug-in API or the explicit sharing API executed by the content designation program 66 to activate the output program 65. Good.

As another example, the output program 65 may provide the generation information to the content designation program 66 by storing the generation information in an area of the storage unit 62 accessible by the content designation program 66. In this case, the content designation program 66 acquires the generation information by reading the generation information stored in the storage unit 62. As another example, the output program 65 provides the generation information to the content designation program 66 by executing the API for passing the argument to the application by using the information specifying the content designation program 66 and the generation information as arguments. May be. The argument in this case may also be intent format information.

The OS 64 provides the program installed in the portable terminal 50 with the sharing function of activating the second program designated by the first program and providing the designation information designated by the first program to the second program. The first program can use the sharing function, for example, by executing an API provided by the OS 64 (hereinafter, referred to as “shared API”). More specifically, the first program executes the shared API by using the program ID and the designation information of the second program as arguments. Details of the sharing function will be described with reference to FIG. 13.

First, the sharing source application 41 executes the sharing API of the OS 64 for realizing the sharing function (S1). To execute the implicit sharing API, at least a URI (abbreviation of Uniform Resource Identifier), a type, and an action are required as arguments. The argument may be, for example, intent format information. The sharing source application 41 may include other information in the argument of the implicit sharing API. The URI is information indicating the location of shared data. The type is information indicating the data format of shared data. The action is information indicating the type of processing (for example, browsing, editing, transmitting, printing, etc.) on the shared data to be executed by the sharing destination application. The URI, type, and action are examples of designation information provided from the sharing source application to the request destination application.

On the other hand, the applications 42, 43, 44,... Which are candidates for the sharing destination application declare in advance to the OS 64 the data format of the shared data that can be processed and the type of executable processing. Therefore, the OS 64 identifies (S2) an application that can execute the process indicated by the action on the shared data in the data format indicated by the type from the applications 42, 43, 44,. A list of applications is displayed on the display unit 53 (S3). Then, the OS 64 waits in a state in which a user operation for selecting one of the displayed applications can be accepted through the operation unit 54 (S4).

Next, the OS 64 activates the application with the URI, the type, and the action as arguments in response to the user operation for selecting one of the applications displayed in the list being received through the operation unit 54 (S4). (S5). In the following embodiments, the content designation program 66 corresponds to the application 41 in FIG. 13, and the output program 65 corresponds to one of the applications 42 to 44 in FIG.

The processes of steps S2 to S5 may be executed by the sharing source application. In this case, the sharing source application acquires, from the OS 64, information specifying an application capable of executing the process indicated by the action with respect to the shared data in the data format indicated by the type in step S2. Then, in step S5, the sharing source application starts the application selected by the user operation by executing the explicit sharing API with the information specifying the application acquired from the OS 64, the URI, the type, and the action as arguments. Can be made. The sharing source application 41 may include other information in the argument of the explicit sharing API.

Alternatively, the sharing source application executes the explicit sharing API with the information specifying the predetermined application, the URI, the type, and the action as arguments, in response to the user's instruction to use the sharing function. The application of a predetermined sharing destination may be started according to. In the present embodiment, for example, the output program 65 may be set as a predetermined sharing destination application in the content specification program 66 that is the sharing source application. More specifically, the information specifying the output program 65 may be described in the setting file referred to by the content designation program 66 at the time of activation, or in the source code of the content designation program 66.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the data storage area 62B can store a program ID and a device ID associated with the program ID. Hereinafter, the information illustrated in FIG. 3A may be referred to as a “device information list”, and each record illustrated in FIG. 3A may be referred to as a “device information record”. That is, the device information list can include a plurality of device information records. The device information list is edited by the output program 65.

In the present embodiment, the content designation program 66 is identified by the program ID “001”, the program A is identified by the program ID “002”, and the output program 65 is identified by the program ID “999”. In this embodiment, the device ID of the multifunction device 10A is "MFP-A", and the device ID of the multifunction device 10B is "MFP-B". Hereinafter, the device ID associated with the program ID “999” of the output program 65 may be referred to as “default ID”. The default ID may be specified by the user through a user interface (not shown), or may be a specified device ID determined by a device determination process described later.

Further, the data storage area 62B stores a device change flag as shown in FIG. The device change flag indicates whether or not the designated device has been changed in the device selection process described later. The device change flag is set to either "ON" indicating that the designated device has been changed or "OFF" indicating that the designated device has not been changed. The initial value of the device change flag is “OFF”. The value of the device change flag is set by the output program 65.

Further, the data storage area 62B can store a registration device ID, as shown in FIG. The registered device ID is the device ID provided from the output program 65 to the content designation program 66 in step S20 described below. The registered device ID is edited by the content designation program 66.

[Operation of recording system 100]
The operation of the recording system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The recording system 100 executes processing for causing the multifunction peripheral 10A designated based on the user operation to perform the label print operation for the content data designated by the mobile terminal 50 based on the user operation.

First, the OS 64 of the mobile terminal 50 displays the menu screen on the display unit 53 and displays the status bar on the common display area 80. FIG. 8A is an example of a menu screen. The menu screen shown in FIG. 8A includes a plurality of program icons 111, 112, 113, 114, 115. The program icons 111 to 115 correspond to the programs installed in the mobile device 50. For example, the program icon 111 corresponds to the program A, the program icon 114 corresponds to the output program 65, and the program icon 115 corresponds to the content designation program 66.

Then, the OS 64 receives one selection of the program icons 111 to 115 through the operation unit 54. For example, when the OS 64 receives selection of the program icon 115 through the operation unit 54, the OS 64 activates the content designation program 66 and executes the content designation program 66 in the foreground. The selection of the program icon 115 is an example of a user operation for instructing the activation of the content designation program 66.

The content designation program 66 causes the display unit 53 to display the label edit screen in response to being activated by the OS 64 that has accepted the selection of the program icon 114. FIG. 8B is an example of the label edit screen before the label image is edited. FIG. 9A is an example of the label edit screen after the label image is edited. The label edit screen shown in FIGS. 8B and 9A includes a label image display area 121, a plurality of edit icons 122, 123, 124, a device icon 125, and a label icon 126. Then, the content designation program 66 receives the selection of the icon included in the label edit screen through the operation unit 54.

The label image display area 121 is an area for displaying a label image edited using the edit icons 122 to 124. The edit icon 122 corresponds to an instruction to add a character string to the label image. The edit icon 123 corresponds to an instruction to add a color to the label image. The edit icon 124 corresponds to an instruction to add a photo to the label image. The device icon 125 corresponds to an instruction to switch the designated device. The label icon 126 corresponds to an instruction to specify the label print operation as the specified operation and activate the output program 65.

The device icon 125 describes the registered device ID “MFP-A” stored in the data storage area 62B. The registered device ID is temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B as a temporary specified device ID when the content specifying program 66 is activated. On the other hand, when the registered device ID is not stored in the data storage area 62B, the device icon 125 may describe a character string such as "unselected" indicating that the registered device ID does not exist.

The label icon 126 shown in FIG. 8B is grayed out as an example of the unselectable aspect. However, as another example of the non-selectable mode, the label icon 126 may be hidden on the label edit screen shown in FIG. 8B. On the other hand, the label icon 126 shown in FIG. 9A is in a selectable form. That is, the label icon 126 is not selectable before the label image is edited, and can be selected according to the edit of the label image.

The content designation program 66 edits the label image according to the user operation in response to the selection of the edit icons 122 to 124 being accepted through the operation unit 54. Then, the content designation program 66 causes the display unit 53 to display the label edit screen in which the edited label image is arranged in the label image display area 121. In addition, the content designation program 66 uses the label image data indicating the edited label image as the designation data, and the data ID (for example, "label image.JPEG") for identifying the label image data as the designation data ID. It is temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B.

The output program 65 and the content designation program 66 can read, edit, or delete the data stored in the storage unit 62 using the API of the OS 64. The data ID is information of a format used to specify data in the API of OS64. The data ID is, for example, a file path or URI. If the designated data and designated data ID have already been temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B, the new designated data and designated data ID are overwritten.

Note that the storage destination of the label image data indicating the edited label image may be, for example, an external server (not shown) such as a cloud server. That is, the content designation program 66 may transmit the label image data indicating the edited label image to the external server through the communication unit 55. Then, the content designation program 66 may temporarily store the data ID of the label image data in the data storage area 62B as the designated data ID. The designated data ID in this case may be in the form of a URL for downloading the label image data from an external server, for example.

As an example, the content designation program 66 displays a software keyboard (not shown) on the display unit 53 in response to the selection of the edit icon 122, and the character string input through the software keyboard is displayed at the position desired by the user. Deploy. As another example, the content designation program 66 displays a list of selectable colors on the display unit 53 in response to the selection of the edit icon 123, and displays the color selected through the operation unit 54 in the background of the label image. Set to color. As still another example, the content designation program 66 causes the display unit 53 to display a list of selectable photos in response to the selection of the edit icon 124, and allows the user to select the photo selected through the operation unit 54. Place it in the position you want.

Further, the content designation program 66 executes the device selection process shown in FIG. 6 in response to the selection of the device icon 125 received through the operation unit 54. Details of the device selection process will be described later. The content designation program 66 may accept designation of a designation operation in steps S42 and S43, which will be described later, or the label print operation may be predetermined as the designation operation. Then, the content designation program 66 temporarily stores the device ID of the multifunction machine 10 selected in the device selection process in the data storage area 62B as a temporary designated device ID. If the temporary designated device ID is already temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B, it is overwritten with the new device ID.

Further, the content designating program 66 outputs the program ID, the designated data ID, the device ID which is a temporary designated device ID, and the designated operation ID in response to the selection of the label icon 126 received through the operation unit 54. Is used as an argument to execute the API for activating the output program 65. The API executed here may be an API for activating the output program 65 as a plug-in, or may be an explicit shared API. As a result, the OS 64 executes the content designation program 66 in the background and the output program 65 in the foreground. In the present embodiment, the program ID “001” and the designated operation ID “label print operation” are fixed, and the designated data ID “label image.JPEG” and the device ID “MFP-A” are designated by the user by the above-described processing. It is a thing.

The content designation program 66 needs to provide at least the designated data ID, and the provision of the program ID, the device ID, and the designated operation ID can be omitted. The designated action ID does not have to be fixed. The content program 66 may further include, for example, a print icon corresponding to the print operation, a FAX icon corresponding to the FAX transmission operation, a media icon corresponding to the media saving operation, or the like on the label edit screen. Then, the content designation program 66 may provide the action ID of the output action corresponding to the selected icon to the output program 65 as the designated action ID.

[External start processing]
As shown in FIG. 4, the output program 65 acquires the information provided from the content designation program 66 in response to being activated by the activation processing by the content designation program 66 (S11). The output program 65 acquires at least the designated data ID. The output program 65 according to the present embodiment acquires the program ID “001”, the specified data ID “label image.JPEG”, the device ID “MFP-A”, and the specified operation ID “label print operation”. Then, the output program 65 temporarily stores the various information acquired from the content designation program 66 in the data storage area 62B. The process of step S11 is an example of the acquisition process.

Next, the output program 65 executes a device determination process (S12). The device determination process is a process of determining the multifunction peripheral 10 that executes the designated operation for the designated data. Details of the device determination process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the output program 65 determines whether or not the device ID has been acquired in step S11 (S31). Next, when the output program 65 determines that the device ID “MFP-A” has been acquired (S31: Yes), the multifunction device 10A identified by the device ID “MFP-A” receives the communication unit 55. It is determined whether communication is possible (S32). The process of step S31 is an example of the third determination process, and the process of step S32 is an example of the fourth determination process.

The output program 65 transmits an echo request of ICMP (abbreviation of Internet Control Message Protocol) to the multifunction peripheral 10A through the communication unit 55 in step S32, for example. Then, the output program 65 determines that the multifunction peripheral 10A is in the communicable state in response to the echo reply received from the multifunction peripheral 10A through the communication unit 55. On the other hand, the output program 65 determines that the multifunction peripheral 10A is in a communication-disabled state in response to the fact that the echo reply cannot be received even after a predetermined time has elapsed. However, the method of determining whether or not the multifunction peripheral 10A can communicate is not limited to the above-described example, and another known method may be adopted.

Then, in response to the determination that the multifunction peripheral 10A is in the communicable state (S32: Yes), the output program 65 determines the device ID “MFP-A” acquired from the content specifying program 66 as the specified device ID. Yes (S33). Then, the output program 65 temporarily stores the device ID “MFP-A” acquired from the content specifying program 66 in the data storage area 62B as the specified device ID. The process of step S33 is an example of the second determination process.

On the other hand, the output program 65 determines that the device ID has not been acquired (S31: No), or determines that the multifunction peripheral 10A is in the incommunicable state (S32: No). Then, it is determined whether or not the program ID is acquired in step S11 (S34). Next, in response to determining that the program ID “001” is acquired (S34: Yes), the output program 65 stores the device ID associated with the program ID “001” in the device information list. It is determined whether or not there is (S35). The process of step S34 is an example of the first determination process, and the process of step S35 is an example of the second determination process.

Then, the output program 65 determines that the device ID “MFP-A” associated with the program ID “001” is stored in the device information list (S35: Yes), and the device ID “ MFP-A" is determined as the designated device ID (S36). That is, the output program 65 temporarily stores the device ID “MFP-A” in the data storage area 62B as the specified device ID. The process of step S36 is an example of the first determination process. Further, the output program 65 sets "ON" to the device change flag (S37).

On the other hand, the output program 65 determines that the program ID has not been acquired (S34: No), or determines that the device ID associated with the program ID is not stored in the device information list. In response to the request (S35: No), the device selection process is executed (S38). The device selection process is a process of accepting a user operation for designating a designated device. Details of the device selection process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the output program 65 determines whether or not the designated action ID is acquired in step S11 (S41). The process of step S41 is an example of the fifth determination process. Next, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the operation selection screen in response to the determination that the specified operation ID has not been acquired (S41: No) (S42). FIG. 9B is an example of the operation selection screen. The operation selection screen shown in FIG. 9B includes a plurality of operation icons 131, 132, 133, and 134. The operation icon 131 corresponds to the print operation, the operation icon 132 corresponds to the label print operation, the operation icon 133 corresponds to the FAX transmission operation, and the operation icon 134 corresponds to the media storage operation.

Next, the output program 65 receives a user operation of selecting one of the operation icons 131 to 134 included in the operation selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S43). The output program 65 determines, for example, the label print operation corresponding to the operation icon 132 as the designated operation in response to the selection of the operation icon 132 received through the operation unit 54 (S43: Yes). That is, the output program 65 temporarily stores the operation ID of the label print operation in the data storage area 62B as the specified operation ID. The process of step S43 is an example of the second reception process. On the other hand, the output program 65 skips the processes of steps S42 and S43 in response to determining that the designated operation ID has been acquired (S41: Yes).

Next, the output program 65 searches for a multi-function peripheral 10 capable of executing the designated operation among the plurality of multi-function peripherals 10 capable of communicating through the communication unit 55 (S44). The process of step S44 is an example of the search process. The output program 65 uses, for example, SNMP (abbreviation of Simple Network Management Protocol) to send the transmission request information requesting the transmission of the device ID and the operation information stored in the MIB to the multifunction device 10 through the communication unit 55. .. Next, the output program 65 receives the device ID and the operation information returned from the multifunction machine 10 through the communication unit 55. Next, the output program 65 compares the designated action ID with the action ID included in the action information received from the multifunction machine 10. Then, the output program 65 identifies the multi-function peripheral 10 whose operation information includes the designated operation ID as the target multi-function peripheral. In this embodiment, the multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B in which the designated motion ID “label print motion” is included in the motion information are specified as the target multifunction peripherals.

The operation information may be model information indicating the model of the multifunction machine 10. In this case, the output program 65 accesses the correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the model information and the motion ID corresponding to the model information, and acquires the motion ID corresponding to the received model information. That is, the correspondence information is also information indicating an operation that can be executed by the multifunction peripheral 10 of the model indicated by the model information. Note that the correspondence information may be stored in the mobile terminal 50 or a cloud server (not shown).

As another example, the transmission request information may include the designated action ID. The control program 35 of the multi-function peripheral 10 may receive the transmission request information from the portable terminal 50 through the communication unit 25 and determine whether the designated operation ID included in the transmission request information is stored in the MIB. Then, the control program 35 may transmit the device ID to the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25 in response to determining that the designated operation ID is stored in the MIB. On the other hand, the control program 35 does not transmit the device ID to the mobile terminal 50 in response to the determination that the designated operation ID is not stored in the MIB. Then, the output program 65 of the mobile terminal 50 may specify the multifunction peripheral 10 indicated by the device ID received through the communication unit 55 as the target multifunction peripheral.

Next, the output program 65 displays the device selection screen on the display unit 53 (S45). FIG. 10A is an example of the device selection screen. The device selection screen shown in FIG. 10A includes device icons 135 and 136. The device icons 135 and 136 correspond to the target multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B specified in step S44. Further, the device icons 135 and 136 describe the device IDs of the corresponding multifunction peripherals 10A and 10B. Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the icon included in the device selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S46).

Next, for example, in response to receiving the selection of the device icon 135 through the operation unit 54 (S46: Yes), the output program 65 sets the device ID “MFP-A” of the multifunction peripheral 10A corresponding to the device icon 135. , Designated device ID is determined (S47). That is, the output program 65 causes the data storage area 62B to temporarily store the device ID "MFP-A" as the designated device ID. The process of step S46 is an example of the first reception process, and the process of step S47 is an example of the third determination process. Further, the output program 65 sets "ON" to the device change flag (S48).

Returning to FIG. 4, the output program 65 displays a preview screen on the display unit 53 (S13). Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the icon included in the preview screen through the operation unit 54 (S14). The process of step S13 is an example of the preview display process, and the process of step S14 is an example of the third reception process. FIG. 10B is an example of the preview screen. The preview screen shown in FIG. 10B includes a preview image 141, a device icon 142, and a print icon 143.

The preview image 141 is an image representing the result of causing the designated device to perform the designated operation for the designated data. The preview image according to the present embodiment shows an image in which the label image is recorded on the surface of the CD-ROM by the multifunction peripheral 10A. The device icon 142 is an example of a device switching object corresponding to an instruction to switch the designated device. The device icon 142 describes the current designated device ID. The print icon 143 is an example of an output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to execute an output instruction process described later.

In step S13, for example, the output program 65 reads the label image data from the data storage area 62B using the API of the OS 64 and generates the preview image data using the label image data. On the other hand, if the label image data is stored in the external server, the output program 65 receives the label image data from the external server through the communication unit 55 and generates the preview image data using the label image data in step S13. You may.

Next, the output program 65 executes the device selection process (S15) in response to the selection of the device icon 142 received through the operation unit 54 (S14: device icon). Since the details of the device selection processing have already been described, the description will not be repeated. Then, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the preview screen in which the designated device ID switched in step S15 is described in the device icon 142 (S13).

In addition, in response to the selection of the print icon 143 being accepted through the operation unit 54 (S14: print icon), the output program 65 transmits the output instruction information to the multifunction peripheral 10A, which is the designated device, through the communication unit 55 (S16). ). The output instruction information is information for causing the designated device to perform the designated operation for the designated data. The output instruction information of this embodiment includes the label image data identified by the designated data ID “label image.JPEG” and the output operation ID “label print operation”. Specifically, the output program 65 reads the designated data using the API of the OS 64, generates output instruction information including the read designated data, and transmits the generated output instruction information to the multifunction peripheral 10A through the communication unit 55. .. The process of step S16 is an example of the output instruction process.

When the designated data ID is the URL for downloading the designated data from the external server, the output program 65 receives the designated data from the external server through the communication unit 55, and outputs the output instruction information including the received designated data. The generated output instruction information may be transmitted to the multifunction peripheral 10A through the communication unit 55. Alternatively, the output program 65 may transmit the output instruction information including the URL for downloading the designated data from the external server to the multifunction peripheral 10A through the communication unit 55.

On the other hand, although not shown, the control program 35 of the multifunction peripheral 10A receives the output instruction information from the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25. Then, the control program 35 causes the printer unit 11 to execute the output operation according to the received output instruction information. The printer unit 11 in this embodiment executes a label print operation for recording the label image represented by the label image data “label image.JPEG” on the surface of the CD-ROM. Alternatively, the multifunction peripheral 10A may download the designated data from the external server using the URL included in the output instruction information and cause the printer unit 11 to execute the label print operation for the designated data.

Next, the output program 65 stores the device information record including the program ID “001” acquired in step S11 and the designated device ID “MFP-A” in the device information list (S17). If a device information record including the same program ID is already stored, it is overwritten with a new device information record. If the program ID is not acquired in step S11, the output program 65 skips the process of step S17. The process of step S17 is an example of a storage process. Further, the output program 65 may store the designated device ID “MFP-A” as the default ID in the device information record including the program ID “999” of the output program 65.

Next, the output program 65 determines the value set in the device change flag (S18). Then, the output program 65 sets "OFF" to the device change flag in response to the determination that the device change flag is set to "ON" (S18: Yes) (S19). Further, the output program 65 provides the designated device ID to the content designation program 66 which is the activation source program (S20). The process of step S20 is an example of the providing process. On the other hand, the output program 65 skips the processes of steps S19 and S20 in response to determining that the device change flag is set to “OFF” (S18: No).

Although not shown, the content designation program 66 acquires the designated device ID provided from the output program 65. Then, the content designation program 66 stores the designated device ID acquired from the output program 65 in the data storage area 62B as a registered device ID. If the registered device ID is already stored in the data storage area 62B, the designated device ID acquired from the output program 65 is overwritten. The content designation program 66 that implements these processes may be executed in the foreground or the background.

[Operation and effect of this embodiment]
According to the above embodiment, the content data identified by the designated data ID provided by the content designation program 66 can be output to the output device determined in the device determination process. The output device determined by the device determination process is the output device identified by the device ID provided from the content designation program 66, or the output device identified by the device ID associated with the program ID of the content designation program 66. , Or an output device designated by the user in the device selection process.

More specifically, the output device identified by the designated device ID determined in steps S33 and S36 is the output device to which the output instruction information has been transmitted by the output program 65 that the content designation program 66 has started in the past. That is, the output device can execute the designated operation. The output device identified by the designated device ID determined in step S47 is an output device capable of executing the designated operation.

As a result, the content data for which the content designation program 66 has received the designation can be output to an output device suitable for the content designation program 66. These processes are particularly advantageous when an output device having dedicated hardware is required, such as label printing operation, embossing operation, postcard printing operation, garment printing operation, 3D printing operation, or embroidery operation. Produce an effect.

Further, the designated device ID determined in the device determination process is stored in the device information list in association with the program ID of the content designation program 66 (S17), and is also registered in the content designation program 66 as a registered device ID (S20). .. Accordingly, when the output program 65 is activated next time by the content designation program 66, it is possible to cause the output device to which the output instruction information was transmitted in the previous output instruction process to execute the output operation. That is, it is possible to cause the output device suitable for the content designation program 66 to execute the designation operation.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the content designation program 66 activated through the menu screen activates the output program 65 as a plug-in has been described. However, the content designation program 66 may activate the output program 65 using the sharing function. Alternatively, the output program 65 may activate the content designation program 66 as a plug-in, as shown in the modification below.

[Modification]
Hereinafter, the operation of the recording system 100 according to the modification will be described with reference to FIG. 7. It should be noted that detailed description of the common points with the above-described embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences. First, the OS 64 activates the output program 65 in response to the selection of the program icon 114 received through the operation unit 54, and executes the output program 65 in the foreground. The output program 65 executes the standard starting process shown in FIG. 7 in response to being started by the OS 64, not by the starting process by the content designation program 66.

First, the output program 65 determines the default ID as the designated device ID (S51). That is, the output program 65 reads the device ID “MFP-A” associated with the program ID “999” from the device information list, and temporarily stores the device ID “MFP-A” in the data storage area 62B as the specified device ID. Remember. The process of step S51 is an example of the fourth determination process.

Next, the output program 65 displays the main screen on the display unit 53 (S52). FIG. 11A is an example of the main screen. The main screen shown in FIG. 11A includes a plurality of operation icons 146, 147, 148 and a device icon 149. Then, the output program 65 receives selection of various icons included in the main screen through the operation unit 54 (S53).

The operation icons 146 to 148 correspond to the output operation specified by the operation information of the multifunction peripheral 10A that is the designated device. The operation icon 146 corresponds to the print operation, the operation icon 147 corresponds to the FAX transmission operation, and the operation icon 148 corresponds to the label print operation. The operation information of the multifunction peripheral 10A may be acquired from the multifunction peripheral 10A in step S52, or the operation information acquired in step S44 may be included in the device information record. The device icon 149 corresponds to an instruction to switch the designated device. In the device icon 149, the device ID “MFP-A” of the multifunction peripheral 10A that is the designated device at the present time is described.

Next, the output program 65 executes the device selection process in response to the selection of the device icon 149 received through the operation unit 54 (S53: device icon) (S54). Since the details of the device selection processing have already been described, the description will not be repeated. Then, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the main screen in which the designated device ID switched in step S54 is described in the device icon 149 (S52).

Further, for example, when the output program 65 receives the selection of the operation icon 146 through the operation unit 54 (S53: operation icon), it determines the print operation corresponding to the operation icon 146 as the designated operation. That is, the output program 65 temporarily stores the operation ID of the printing operation in the data storage area 62B as the designated operation ID. Next, the output program 65 displays the acquisition source selection screen on the display unit 53 (S55). Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the icon included in the acquisition source selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S56).

FIG. 11B is an example of the acquisition source selection screen. The acquisition source selection screen is a screen for allowing the user to select the acquisition source of the designated data. The acquisition source selection screen shown in FIG. 11B includes acquisition source icons 151 and 152 and plug-in icons 153 and 154. The acquisition source icon 151 corresponds to the photo data folder in the data storage area 62B which is the acquisition source of the photo data, and the acquisition source icon 152 corresponds to a server (not shown) on the Internet. The plug-in icon 153 corresponds to the content designation program 66, and the plug-in icon 154 corresponds to the program A.

Next, the output program 65 displays the data selection screen on the display unit 53, for example, when the selection of the acquisition source icon 151 is received through the operation unit 54 (S56: acquisition source icon) (S57). Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the icon included in the data selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S58). The process of step S58 is an example of the fourth reception process.

FIG. 12A is an example of the data selection screen. The data selection screen shown in FIG. 12A includes a plurality of data icons 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160. The data icons 155 to 160 correspond to content data that can be designated as designated data. The data icons 155 to 160 correspond to the photo data stored in the photo data folder of the data storage area 62B. On the other hand, when the acquisition source icon 152 is selected, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the data selection screen including the data icon corresponding to the content data stored in the server on the Internet.

Next, the output program 65 determines the content data corresponding to the data icon 155 as the designated data in response to the selection of the data icon 155 received through the operation unit 54 (S58: Yes). That is, the output program 65 temporarily stores the data ID of the content data corresponding to the data icon 155 in the data storage area 62B as the designated data ID.

Next, the output program 65 displays a preview screen on the display unit 53 (S59). Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the icon included in the preview screen through the operation unit 54 (S60). The process of step S59 is an example of the preview display process, and the process of step S60 is an example of the third reception process.

FIG. 12B is an example of the preview screen. The preview screen shown in FIG. 12B includes a preview image 161 and a print icon 162. The preview image 161 is an image showing the result of outputting the designation data designated in step S58 by the designation operation designated in step S53. That is, the preview image 161 shows an image in which the photograph indicated by the photograph data corresponding to the data icon 155 is recorded on the recording sheet. The print icon 162 corresponds to an instruction to execute the output instruction process.

Then, in response to the selection of the print icon 162 being accepted through the operation unit 54 (S60: Yes), the output program 65 transmits the recording instruction information to the multifunction peripheral 10A which is the designated device through the communication unit 55 (S61). .. The process of step S61 is an example of the output instruction process. On the other hand, although not shown, the control program 35 of the multifunction peripheral 10A receives the recording instruction information from the portable terminal 50 through the communication unit 25. Then, the control program 35 causes the printer unit 11 to execute the print operation according to the received print instruction information. That is, the printer unit 11 records the photograph indicated by the photograph data included in the recording instruction information on the recording sheet.

On the other hand, for example, when the output program 65 receives selection of the plug-in icon 153 through the operation unit 54 (S56: plug-in icon), the output program 65 activates the content designation program 66 corresponding to the plug-in icon 153 (S62). .. For example, in step S62, the output program 65 may execute a function for activating the content designation program 66 as a plug-in, or may execute the shared API by designating the program ID of the content designation program 66. .. Then, the OS 64 executes the output program 65 in the background and the content designation program 66 in the foreground.

The content designation program 66 executes the processing described with reference to FIGS. 8B and 9A in response to being activated by the output program 65. Then, the content designation program 66 provides a designated data ID or the like as a return value of the function or the shared API executed by the output program 65 in step S62, for example. These processes are an example of the startup process. Then, the output program 65 executes the external starting process shown in FIG. 4 (S63). Since the details of the external starting process have already been described, the repetitive description will be omitted.

Further, in the portable terminal 50 of the above-described embodiment, the CPU 61 executes various programs stored in the program storage area 62A of the storage unit 62 to realize each process executed by the control unit of the present invention. Explained. However, the configuration of the control unit is not limited to this, and a part or all of the control unit may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (also referred to as IC (Integrated Circuit)).

Furthermore, the present invention can be realized not only as the mobile terminal 50, but also as a program that causes the mobile terminal 50 to execute processing. Then, the program may be provided by being recorded in a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like, as well as a storage unit mounted in a server connectable to the mobile terminal 50 through the communication network 101. Then, the program stored in the storage unit of the server may be distributed as information or a signal indicating the program through the communication network 101 such as the Internet.

10... Multifunction device 11... Printer unit 12... Scanner unit 25, 55... Communication unit 31, 61... CPU
35... Control program 65... Output program 66... Content designation program 50... Mobile terminal 53... Display unit 54... Operation unit 62... Storage unit

Claims (9)

A portable terminal readable output program including a communication unit and a storage unit, wherein the communication unit is capable of communicating with a plurality of output devices through a communication network, and the output device outputs a plurality of content data. It is possible to perform at least one of the output operation of, the storage unit stores a boot source program readable by the mobile terminal, the boot source program starts the output program, And it is possible to cause the portable terminal to execute a start-up process for providing the output program with specified data information for identifying the specified content data.
The output program is
A determination process for determining the designated device information,
When the designated device information is determined by the determination process, the portable terminal is caused to execute an output instruction process of transmitting output instruction information to the output device identified by the designated device information, and the output instruction information is Information for instructing execution of the output operation for the content data,
The output program is
In the determination process,
In response to being activated by the activation source program, the portable terminal is caused to execute an acquisition process of acquiring information provided from the activation source program,
When the device identification information is acquired in the acquisition process in addition to the specified data information, the device identification information acquired in the acquisition process is determined as the specified device information,
In the output instruction processing,
When the device identification information acquired by the acquisition process is determined as the designated device information by the determination process, the output device identified by the determined designated device information is acquired by the acquisition process. An output program for transmitting the output instruction information for instructing execution of the output operation targeting the content data identified by the designated data information. The output program is
In the determination process,
The program identification information and the device identification information acquired in the acquisition process are stored in the storage unit in association with each other when the program identification information for identifying the boot source program is acquired in the acquisition process. Output program. The mobile terminal includes an operation unit,
The output program is
In the determination process,
In the case where the program identification information has not been acquired in the acquisition process, if the specified operation information that identifies the specified operation that is the output operation to be executed by the output device is acquired in the acquisition process, the specified operation information Causing the portable terminal to execute a search process of searching for the output device that is capable of performing the specified operation identified by and that is capable of communicating through the communication unit,
When the operation of designating one of the device identification information of the output device searched in the search process is accepted through the operation unit, the designated device identification information is determined as the designated device information,
In the output instruction processing,
Targeting the content data identified by the designated data information, according to claim 2 which transmits the output instruction information for instructing the execution of the specified operation identified by the designation operation information acquired by the acquisition process Output program. The output program is
When the specified operation information is not acquired in the acquisition process, when an operation of specifying one of the plurality of output operations as the specified operation is received through the operation unit, in the search process, The output program according to claim 3, wherein the output device is capable of executing the specified operation and searching for the output device capable of communicating through the communication unit. The output program is
In the determination process,
When the program identification information for identifying the boot source program is obtained by the obtaining process, the program identifying information obtained by the obtaining process and the device identifying information designated by the operation are associated with each other and the storage unit The output program according to claim 3, wherein the output program is stored in. The output program according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the output program causes the portable terminal to execute a providing process of providing the specified device information determined in the determining process to the activation source program. The mobile terminal includes a display unit,
The output program is
A preview display process for displaying a preview screen on the display unit is executed by the mobile terminal, and the preview screen switches between a preview image showing the execution result of the output operation according to the output instruction information and the designated device information. A device switching object corresponding to, and an output instruction object corresponding to the execution of the output instruction processing,
The output program is
When the operation of selecting the device switching object is accepted through the operation unit, the search process is executed by the mobile terminal,
7. The output program according to claim 3, which causes the mobile terminal to execute the output instruction process when an operation of selecting the output instruction object is received through the operation unit. The mobile terminal includes an operation unit,
The output program is started by the OS of the portable terminal that has received an operation for instructing the start of the output program, not by the start processing by the start source program,
In the determination process,
The device identification information associated with the program identification information in the storage unit is determined as the designated device information,
In the output instruction processing,
When the operation of designating the designated data information is received through the operation unit, the output instruction information for instructing execution of an output operation targeting the content data identified by the designated data information is determined by the determination processing. The output program according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the output program is transmitted to the output device identified by the designated device information determined in (1) through the communication unit. A mobile terminal including a communication unit, a storage unit, and a control unit, wherein the communication unit is capable of communicating with a plurality of output devices via a communication network, and the output device outputs a plurality of outputs of content data. It is possible to perform at least one of the operations, the storage unit stores a boot source program and an output program that are readable by the mobile terminal, and the boot source program launches the output program. Further, it is possible to cause the portable terminal to execute a start-up process of providing the output program with specified data information for identifying the specified content data.
The control unit that executes the output program,
A determination process for determining the designated device information,
When the designated device information is determined by the determination process, an output instruction process of transmitting output instruction information to the output device identified by the designated device information is executed, and the output instruction information is the content data. Information that instructs execution of the targeted output operation,
In the determination process,
In response to being activated by the activation source program, an acquisition process of acquiring information provided from the activation source program is executed,
When the device identification information is acquired in the acquisition process in addition to the specified data information, the device identification information acquired in the acquisition process is determined as the specified device information,
In the output instruction processing,
When the device identification information acquired by the acquisition process is determined as the designated device information by the determination process, the output device identified by the determined designated device information is acquired by the acquisition process. A mobile terminal that transmits the output instruction information instructing execution of the output operation targeting the content data identified by the designated data information.