JP6888711B2 - Mobile terminal and output program - Google Patents

Description

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

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a printing application that allows a user to specify image data or the like stored in a mobile terminal and causes a printer to print an image represented by the specified image data. An application for passing image data to a printing application is also disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-203742

In many cases, printers in recent years are so-called MFPs (abbreviations for Multifunction Peripherals) that can perform not only a printing operation of recording an image on a sheet but also a fax transmission operation of transmitting an image by fax. However, the printing application disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the MFP cannot be instructed to execute the FAX operation.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is an output program capable of causing a processing device to execute a plurality of operations, and in particular, a plurality of starter programs different from the output program. An object of the present invention is to provide an output program capable of outputting content data to a processing device capable of executing the operation when one of the operations is specified.

(1) The output program described in the present specification can be read by a mobile terminal including an operation unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit. The communication unit can be electrically connected to a plurality of processing devices. Each of the plurality of processing devices can execute at least one of a plurality of operations for processing the content data. The storage unit stores an activation source program that can be read by the mobile terminal. The activation source program can cause the mobile terminal to start the output program and notify the output program of data identification information and operation identification information. The data identification information identifies the content data. The operation identification information identifies the output operation. The output operation is the operation in which the processing device outputs the content data. The output program read by the mobile terminal causes the mobile terminal to execute an output instruction process of transmitting the output instruction information for outputting the content data in the output operation to the processing device through the communication unit. It is possible. The output program further stores device identification information for identifying the first device in the storage unit in response to receiving a user operation for designating the first device among the plurality of processing devices through the operation unit. The storage control process to be stored, the first acquisition process to acquire the content data and the operation identification information identified by the data identification information according to the activation by the activation source program, and the first apparatus The portable device includes a second acquisition process for acquiring operation information indicating a feasible operation and a first determination process for determining whether or not the output operation identified by the operation identification information is indicated in the operation information. In the output instruction process when the terminal is made to execute and the first determination process determines that the output operation is indicated in the operation information, the first output instruction information is transmitted to the first device through the communication unit. To do. The first output instruction information is the output instruction information for outputting the content data identified by the data identification information by the output operation identified by the operation identification information.

According to the above configuration, when the first device can execute the output operation identified by the operation identification information, the output program causes the first device to execute the output operation. As a result, when the data identification information and the operation identification information are notified from the activation source program, the processing device capable of executing the output operation identified by the operation identification information is made to output the content data identified by the data identification information. be able to.

(2) Preferably, the output program of the plurality of processing devices capable of communicating through the communication unit in response to the determination in the first determination process that the output operation is not shown in the operation information. Among them, a specific process for specifying the processing device capable of executing the output operation identified by the operation identification information, and a user operation for designating a second device which is one of the processing devices specified in the specific process. Is executed by the mobile terminal with the first reception process of receiving through the operation unit. Then, the output program transmits the first output instruction information to the second device through the communication unit in the output instruction process when the first reception process is executed.

According to the above configuration, when the first device cannot execute the output operation, the output program causes the user to select a second device capable of executing the output operation, and causes the selected second device to perform the output operation. To execute.

(3) Preferably, the mobile terminal includes a display unit. The output program causes the display unit to display a preview image showing an image of the content data output in the output operation, and a preview screen including an output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to execute the output operation in the processing device. It is possible to cause the mobile terminal to execute a preview display process and a second reception process for accepting a user operation for selecting an object included in the preview screen through the operation unit. In the output instruction process when the output program determines in the first determination process that the output operation is indicated in the operation information, and accepts the selection of the output instruction object in the second reception process. In the output instruction process when the output instruction information is transmitted to the first device through the communication unit, the first reception process is executed, and the selection of the output instruction object is received in the second reception process. , The output instruction information is transmitted to the second device through the communication unit.

According to the above configuration, the user can confirm the image of the output result before causing the processing device to output the content data. As a result, it becomes easy to obtain the output result desired by the user. In other words, it is possible to suppress re-processing due to the output result being different from the user's intention.

(4) Preferably, the processing device can execute the first operation, which is the output operation identified by the operation identification information, and the second operation, which is different from the first operation. The output program causes the display unit to display the first preview screen in the preview display process. The first preview screen is the preview screen including the first preview image, the first output instruction object, and the first operation switching object corresponding to the switching from the first operation to the second operation. The first preview image is the preview image showing an image obtained by outputting the content data in the first operation. The first output instruction object is the output instruction object corresponding to the instruction to execute the first operation. The output program causes the mobile terminal to execute the preview display process of displaying the second preview screen on the display unit in response to the selection of the first operation switching object being received in the second reception process. The second preview screen is the preview screen including the second preview image and the second output instruction object. The second preview image is the preview image showing an image obtained by outputting the content data in the second operation. The second output instruction object is the output instruction object corresponding to the instruction to execute the second operation. In the output instruction process when the selection of the first output instruction object is received in the second reception process, the output program transmits the first output instruction information to the processing device through the communication unit, and the first output instruction information is transmitted. 2 In the output instruction process when the selection of the output instruction object is received in the second reception process, the second output instruction information is transmitted to the processing device through the communication unit. The second output instruction information is the output instruction information for outputting the content data in the second operation.

(5) Preferably, the output program corresponds to switching from the second operation to the first operation in the preview display process when the selection of the first operation switching object is received in the second reception process. The second preview screen further including the second operation switching object is displayed on the display unit, and the first preview screen is displayed in response to the acceptance of the selection of the second operation switching object in the second reception process. The mobile terminal is made to execute the preview display process to be displayed on the display unit.

According to the above configuration, the user who notices by looking at the preview screen that the output operation is specified incorrectly can switch the output operation with the output program, so in order to specify the correct output operation, the startup program is selected. You don't have to start it again.

(6) Preferably, in the preview display process, the output program causes the display unit to display the preview screen further including the device switching object. The device switching object is the object corresponding to the switching of the processing device that executes the output operation. The output program causes the mobile terminal to execute the specific process and the first reception process in response to receiving the selection of the device switching object in the second reception process.

According to the above configuration, when it is desired to cause another output device to execute an output operation to be identified by the operation identification information, the user can specify the output device desired by the device switching object included in the preview screen.

(7) Preferably, the output program causes the display unit to display the preview screen further including the device switching object in the preview display process when the starter program is started. The output program performs a first display process of displaying an operation selection screen on the display unit in response to being started by the OS of the mobile terminal that has received a user operation instructing the start of the output program. To execute. The operation selection screen includes a plurality of operation designation objects corresponding to the output operation that can be executed by the first device, and the device switching object. The output program receives a third reception process for accepting a user operation for selecting the object included in the action selection screen through the operation unit, and a third reception process for accepting the selection of the action designation object in the third reception process. , The mobile terminal is made to execute the second display process of displaying the data selection screen on the display unit. The data selection screen includes a plurality of data objects corresponding to each of the content data. The output program receives a fourth reception process for accepting a user operation for selecting the object included in the data selection screen through the operation unit, and a fourth reception process for accepting the selection of the data object in the fourth reception process. The mobile terminal is made to execute the preview display process for displaying the third preview screen on the display unit. The third preview screen is the preview screen that includes the third preview image and the third output instruction object, and does not include the device switching object. The third preview image is an image obtained by outputting the content data corresponding to the data object selected in the fourth reception process in the output operation corresponding to the operation designation object selected in the third reception process. It is the preview image which shows. The third output instruction object is the output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to cause the first apparatus to execute the output operation corresponding to the operation designation object selected in the third reception process. The output program transmits the third output instruction information to the first device through the communication unit in the output instruction process when the selection of the third output instruction object is received in the second reception process. The third output instruction information outputs the content data corresponding to the data object selected in the fourth reception process in the output operation corresponding to the operation designation object selected in the third reception process. This is the output instruction information for the purpose.

When the preview screen is displayed via the operation selection screen and the data selection screen as in the above configuration, since the processing device has already been specified through the operation selection screen, it is not necessary to include the device switching object in the preview screen.

(8) Preferably, the back object is displayed on the display unit together with the preview screen. The back object is the object corresponding to the switching from the preview screen to the immediately preceding screen. The immediately preceding screen is a screen displayed on the display unit immediately before the preview screen is displayed on the display unit. The data selection screen is displayed on the display unit as the immediately preceding screen in response to the output program being started by the OS and the selection of the back object being accepted by the operation unit. When the output program is started by the starter program and the selection of the back object is accepted by the operation unit, the starter program is executed in the foreground in place of the output program. The foreground is a state in which a screen based on the execution of the program is displayed in the display area of the display unit. The activation source program executed in the foreground causes the display unit to display the screen immediately before invoking the output program as the immediately preceding screen.

According to the above configuration, when the output program is started by the start source program, it is not possible to return to the operation selection screen by the back object of the preview screen. Therefore, it is desirable to include the device switching object in the preview screen when it is started by the starter program.

(9) Preferably, the output program updates the device identification information stored in the storage unit with the device identification information that identifies the second device in response to the execution of the first reception process. The mobile terminal is made to execute the update process, and in the first first display process after the update process is executed, it is notified that the device identification information stored in the storage unit has been updated.

According to the above configuration, the user can be made to recognize that the device identification information stored in the storage unit has been changed. Further, since the executable operation may differ depending on the processing device, the user recognizes the operation that has become available or the operation that has become unavailable due to the switching from the first device to the second device. be able to.

(10) Preferably, the output program executes the second determination process for determining whether or not the device identification information is stored in the storage unit and the first acquisition process, and stores the device identification information. In response to the determination in the second determination process, the mobile terminal is made to execute the second acquisition process and the first determination process, the first acquisition process is executed, and the device identification information is executed. The mobile terminal is made to execute the specific process and the first reception process in response to the determination in the second determination process that is not stored.

According to the above configuration, when the processing device to which the output instruction information should be transmitted has not been specified yet, the processing device desired by the user can be specified.

(11) The mobile terminal described in the present specification includes an operation unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The communication unit can be electrically connected to a plurality of processing devices. Each of the plurality of processing devices can execute at least one of a plurality of operations for processing the content data. The storage unit stores the output program and the activation source program. The control unit that executes the activation source program activates the output program and notifies the output program of data identification information and operation identification information. The data identification information identifies the content data. The operation identification information identifies the output operation. The output operation is the operation in which the processing device outputs the content data. The control unit that executes the output program can execute an output instruction process of transmitting the output instruction information for outputting the content data in the output operation to the processing device through the communication unit. .. The control unit that executes the output program further identifies the device that identifies the first device in response to receiving a user operation that specifies the first device among the plurality of processing devices through the operation unit. A storage control process for storing information in the storage unit, and acquisition of the content data and the operation identification information identified by the data identification information in response to the output program being activated by the activation source program. 1 Acquisition process, a second acquisition process for acquiring operation information indicating an operation that can be executed by the first device, and whether or not the output operation identified by the operation identification information is indicated in the operation information. In the output instruction process when the first determination process for determining is executed and the first determination process determines that the output operation is indicated in the operation information, the first device is subjected to the first determination process through the communication unit. 1 Send output instruction information. The first output instruction information is the output instruction information for outputting the content data identified by the data identification information by the output operation identified by the operation identification information.

According to the present invention, when the data identification information and the operation identification information are notified from the activation source program, the content data identified by the data identification information is sent to the processing device capable of executing the output operation identified by the operation identification information. Can be output.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a recording system 100 according to an embodiment. 2A and 2B are a block diagram of the multifunction device 10 and FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the mobile terminal 50. FIG. 3 shows an example of the information stored in the data storage area 62B, in which (A) shows the device ID and operation information, and (B) shows the device update flag. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the standard start-up process. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the external activation process. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the device selection process. 7A and 7B are display examples of the display unit 53, in which FIG. 7A shows a menu screen and FIG. 7B shows a main screen that does not include a device switching message. 8A and 8B show a display example of the display unit 53, in which FIG. 8A shows a main screen including a device switching message, and FIG. 8B shows a device selection screen. 9A and 9B are display examples of the display unit 53, in which FIG. 9A shows a data selection screen and FIG. 9B shows a preview screen. 10A and 10B are display examples of the display unit 53, in which FIG. 10A shows a map designation screen and FIG. 10B shows a preview screen. 11A and 11B are display examples of the preview screen. In FIG. 11A, the fax switching icon 128 in FIG. 10B is selected, and in FIG. 11B, the device icon 119 in FIG. 10B is selected. Indicates the state. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a sharing function realized by the shared API.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below are merely examples of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the recording system 100 according to the present 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 "multifunction device 10") and a mobile terminal 50. The multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 are electrically connected. The multifunction device 10 and the mobile terminal 50 may be connected through, for example, a wired LAN (abbreviation of Local Area Network), a communication network 101 such as a wireless LAN, or connected by a USB (abbreviation of Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. You may be. The state in which a plurality of devices can communicate is an example of a state in which the plurality of devices are "electrically connected".

[Multifunction device 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 31, storage unit 32, and communication bus 33 are mainly provided. The components constituting the multifunction device 10 are connected to each other through the communication bus 33. The multifunction device 10 is an example of a processing device.

[Printer unit 11, scanner unit 12, FAX unit 13]
The printer unit 11 executes a printing operation of recording an image indicated by image data on recording paper. 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 for transmitting and receiving image data in a method compliant with the FAX protocol.

The print operation, scan operation, fax transmission operation, and fax reception operation are examples of operations for processing content data. Further, the print operation and the fax transmission operation are examples of output operations for outputting the content indicated by the content data. The operation executed by the multifunction device 10 is not limited to these. As an example of the output operation, the multifunction device 10 may execute a media storage 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 multifunction device 10 may display an image indicated by image data acquired from the mobile terminal 50 on the display unit 23.

The operations that can be performed by the multifunction devices 10A and 10B may be different. In the present embodiment, the multifunction device 10A can execute a print operation and a fax transmission operation, and the multifunction device 10B can execute a print operation, a fax transmission operation, and a media storage operation. Further, the processing device is not limited to one capable of executing a plurality of operations, and may be capable of executing only a single operation. In the MIB (abbreviation of Management Information Base) of the multifunction device 10, 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 may be defined. The operation information may include, for example, an operation ID that identifies an executable operation. The operation ID is an example of the operation identification information.

[Display unit 23]
The display unit 23 includes a display screen for displaying various information. As the display unit 23, a liquid crystal display (abbreviation of Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display (abbreviation of Organic Electro-Luminence Display), and the like can be adopted.

[Operation unit 24]
The operation unit 24 receives an operation of a user who selects 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. Further, the operation unit 24 may have a film-like touch sensor 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 by operating the operation unit 24. As an example, the object is a character string displayed on the display unit 23, and one of the objects is highlighted by pressing the direction key of the operation unit 24, and high by pressing the enter button of the operation unit 24. Lighted objects 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 realized as a touch panel accepts a user operation of touching the display screen of the display unit 23. In addition, the operation unit 24 outputs position information indicating a 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 with the upper left edge of the display screen as the origin, the right direction as the positive direction of the x-axis, and the downward direction as the positive direction of the y-axis. As the touch sensor, a well-known method such as a capacitance method or a resistance film method can be adopted.

The term "touch" in the present specification includes all operations of bringing the 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 keeping the touched input medium stationary on the display screen, a slide operation for sliding the touched input medium on the display screen, and a display screen. A flick operation in which the acceleration of the input medium that slides up is equal to or higher than the threshold value, a pinch-in operation that slides two input media that touched different positions on the display screen in a direction that brings them closer to each other, and two touches that touch different positions on the display screen. A pinch-out operation in which the input media are slid away from each other is an example of touch.

Further, even if the input medium does not touch the display screen, the concept of "touch" may include bringing the input medium close to a position where the distance from the display screen is very small. Further, the input medium may be a user's finger, a touch pen, or the like. Hereinafter, tapping at the position of the 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 for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance) can be adopted. The multifunction device 10 may have a mounting interface such as a USB cable instead of the communication unit 25.

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

[CPU31]
The CPU (abbreviation of Central Processing Unit) 31 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 10. The CPU 31 acquires and executes various programs described later from the storage unit 32 based on various information output from the operation unit 24 and various information acquired from the external device through the communication unit 25. That is, the CPU 31 and the storage unit 32 form an example of the control unit.

[Storage 32]
The storage unit 32 has a program storage area 32A and a data storage area 32B. The OS (abbreviation of Operating System) 34 and the 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 necessary for executing the control program 35.

In addition, "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 without the computer considering the meaning and content of each bit. On the other hand, "information" refers to information in which the operation of a computer branches depending on the meaning and content indicated by each bit. Further, the "instruction" is a control signal for prompting the destination device to perform the next operation, may include information, and has the property of information itself. There is also.

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

However, the above distinction between "data" and "information" is not strict, and exceptional handling is permitted. For example, the data may be temporarily treated as information, or the information may be temporarily treated as data. Further, 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 includes, for example, a RAM (abbreviation of Random Access Memory), a ROM (abbreviation of Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (abbreviation of Electrically Erasable Program Read-Only Memory), a CPU (abbreviation of Memory), and an HDD (abbreviation of HDD). It is composed of a buffer or the like or a combination thereof.

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

The program stored in the program storage area 32A is executed by the CPU 31. However, in the present 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 refer to "the CPU 31 executes the process A described in the program A". The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described later.

Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A determines an event and operates according to the determination result. However, in the present specification, the operation of each program may be described without making a judgment. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "the control program executes the process A according to the condition A" is "determines whether or not the control program is the condition A. The control program makes an affirmative judgment. The process A may be executed depending on the fact that the process A is executed.

Further, the program stored in the program storage area 32A identifies, acquires, extracts, or selects data or the like. When a program specifies data or the like, for example, data that meets the conditions is specified from a plurality of data or the like, and the data or the like or information that identifies the data or the like is stored in a predetermined storage area. Refers to processing. 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 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, etc., which are the hardware constituting the multifunction device 10. It is a basic program that provides (abbreviation of Programming Interface). That is, each of the above programs controls each hardware by calling the API provided by OS34. However, in the present specification, the operation of each program may be described by omitting OS34. That is, in the following description, the description to the effect that "program B controls hardware C" may refer to "program B controls hardware C through the API of OS34". The same applies to the mobile terminal 50 described later.

[Mobile terminal 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 are the display unit 23, the operation unit 24, the communication unit 25, and the CPU 31 included in the multifunction device 10. Since it is common to the storage unit 32 and the communication bus 33, the description thereof will be omitted again. The CPU 61 and the storage unit 62 are examples of control units. The mobile terminal 50 is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, or the like.

The OS 64, the output program 65, and the map program 66 are stored in the program storage area 62A of the storage unit 62. Further, various information shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the data storage area 62B of the storage unit 62. 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.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 11, the display unit 53 of the mobile terminal 50 is divided into a common display area 80 and a program display area 81. In the common display area 80, the status bar is displayed by the OS 64 regardless of the display contents of the program display area 81. Various information is displayed on the status bar depending on the OS64. The status bar includes, for example, a back icon 82, which will be described later, a screen title displayed in the program display area 81, an icon indicating the remaining battery level of the mobile terminal 50, an icon indicating the communication status of the communication unit 55, and the mobile terminal 50. An icon or the like indicating a push notification received from an external service is displayed. In the program display area 81, a screen generated by a program running in the foreground is displayed.

Hereinafter, when it is described that "the program causes the display unit 53 to display the screen", it is assumed that 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 the instruction of the program. 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. May be good.

OS64 may be, for example, Android (registered trademark of Google Inc.) OS, iOS (registered trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc.), Windows Phone (registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation) Operating System, and the like. The OS 64 can execute a plurality of programs installed in the mobile terminal 50 in parallel. A 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 a program screen based on the execution of the program is displayed in most of the display area of the display unit 53. The “most of the display area” may refer to, for example, the program display area 81. The background is, for example, a state in which a program screen based on the execution of a program different from the program is displayed in most of the display area of the display unit 53. That is, the mobile terminal 50 can display only the program screen based on the execution of the program executed in the foreground on the display unit 53 among the plurality of programs executed in parallel.

Further, the OS 64 provides the program installed in the mobile terminal 50 with a sharing function of starting the second program designated by the first program and passing the instruction information designated by the first program to the second program. The first program can use the sharing function, for example, by executing the API provided by OS64 (hereinafter, referred to as "shared API"). More specifically, the first program executes the shared API with the program ID and the specified information of the second program as arguments. The details of the sharing function will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the sharing source application 41 executes the sharing API of the OS 64 to realize the sharing function (S1). The execution of the shared API requires URI (abbreviation of Uniform Resource Identifier), type, and action as arguments. The URI is information indicating the location of the shared data. The type is information indicating the data format of the shared data. The action is information indicating the type of processing (for example, viewing, editing, sending, printing, etc.) for the shared data to be executed by the sharing destination application. URIs, types, and actions are examples of instructional information passed from the sharing source application to the requesting 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 processing that can be executed. Therefore, the OS 64 identifies (S2) an application that can execute the process indicated by the action on the shared data of the data format indicated by the type from the applications 42, 43, 44, ..., And identifies the application. A list of applications is displayed on the display unit 53 (S3). Then, the OS 64 waits in a state where a user operation for selecting one of the listed applications can be accepted through the operation unit 54 (S4).

Next, the OS 64 starts the application with the URI, the type, and the action as arguments in response to receiving the user operation for selecting one of the listed applications through the operation unit 54 (S4). (S5). In the following embodiments, the map program 66 corresponds to the application 41 of FIG. 12, and the output program 65 corresponds to one of the applications 42 to 44 of FIG.

The processing of steps S2 to S5 may be executed by the sharing source application. In step S2, the sharing source application acquires information from the OS 64 that identifies an application that can execute the process indicated by the action for the shared data in the data format indicated by the type. Then, in step S5, the sharing source application executes the sharing API of OS64 to start the application selected by the user operation.

The output program 65 is a program that causes the multifunction device 10 connected through the communication unit 55 to execute an operation on the content data. The output program 65 may, for example, record instruction information for executing a print operation, scan instruction information for executing a scan process, fax instruction information for executing a fax transmission operation, and save for executing a media save operation. The instruction information and the like are transmitted to the multifunction device 10 through the communication unit 55. The recording instruction information, the scan instruction information, the FAX instruction information, and the media storage instruction information are examples of the output instruction information. Further, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the preview screen before transmitting the output instruction information.

The map program 66 is a program that allows the user to specify an arbitrary area of the map image and delivers image data indicating the map image of the designated area to the output program 65. The map program 66 is an example of an activation source program that accepts user operations that specify content data and output operations. Further, the start source program is a program that specifies the received content data and the designated information that identifies the output operation to the OS 64 and starts the output program 65 by using the sharing function. The specific example of the activation source program is not limited to the map program 66, and may be, for example, a paint program that edits an image according to a user operation and delivers image data indicating the edited image to the output program 65.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the data storage area 62B can store the device ID and the operation information associated with the device ID. Hereinafter, the record shown in FIG. 3A may be referred to as an “operation information record”. The operation information record is not registered at the time when the output program 65 is installed, but is registered in the device selection process described later.

The device ID is an example of device identification information that identifies the multifunction devices 10A and 10B. In the present embodiment, the device ID of the multifunction device 10A is "MFP-A", and the device ID of the multifunction device 10B is "MFP-B". The multifunction device 10 identified by the device ID included in the operation information record is an example of the first device. The operation information is information indicating an operation that can be executed by the multifunction device 10 identified by the corresponding device ID, and is acquired from the multifunction device 10 identified by the corresponding device ID. In the example of FIG. 3A, "print" indicates a print operation, and "FAX transmission" indicates a fax transmission operation. That is, the multifunction device 10A in the example of FIG. 3A can execute the printing operation and the fax transmission operation.

Further, the data storage area 62B stores the device update flag as shown in FIG. 3 (B). The device update flag is a flag indicating whether or not the operation information record shown in FIG. 3A has been updated. That is, either "ON" indicating that the operation information record has been updated or "OFF" indicating that the operation information record has not been updated is set in the device update flag by the output program 65. The initial value of the device update flag is "OFF".

[Operation of recording system 100]
The operation of the recording system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 11. The recording system 100 executes a process of causing the multifunction device 10 to execute an output operation for the content data specified 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. 7A is an example of a menu screen. The menu screen shown in FIG. 7A 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 terminal 50. For example, the program icon 114 corresponds to the output program 65, and the program icon 115 corresponds to the map program 66. The OS 64 accepts the selection of the program icons 111 to 115 through the operation unit 54. The OS 64 activates the output program 65 in response to receiving the selection of the program icon 114 through the operation unit 54. The selection of the program icon 114 is an example of a user operation instructing the start of the output program 65.

[Standard startup process]
The output program 65 of the mobile terminal 50 executes a standard startup process in response to being started by the OS 64 that has accepted the selection of the program icon 114. The output program 65 displays various screens for accepting user operations for designating content data, output operations, and processing devices in the standard startup process, and accepts user operations through the screens. Hereinafter, the content data specified by the user is referred to as "designated data", the output operation specified by the user is referred to as "designated operation", and the processing device specified by the user is referred to as "designated device". Then, the output program 65 causes the designated device to execute the designated operation for the designated data. The details of the standard start-up process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the output program 65 determines the value of the device update flag shown in FIG. 3 (B) (S11). Then, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the main screen shown in FIG. 7 (B) according to the device update flag being set to “OFF” (S11: No) (S12). On the other hand, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the main screen shown in FIG. 8 (A) according to the device update flag set to "ON" (S11: Yes) (S13). Further, the output program 65 sets the device update flag to "OFF" in step S13. The processing of steps S12 and S13 is an example of the first display processing. The main screen is an example of an operation selection screen.

The main screen shown in FIG. 7B includes a plurality of operation icons 116, 117 and device icons 119. The operation icons 116 and 117 are examples of operation designation objects corresponding to the operations indicated by the operation information included in the operation information record. That is, the operation icons 116 and 117 correspond to the operations that can be executed by the multifunction device 10 identified by the device ID included in the operation information record. The device icon 119 is an example of a device switching object corresponding to an instruction to cause the output program 65 to execute a process of switching the designated device. The device icon 119 describes the device ID "MFP-A" that identifies the multifunction device 10A currently designated as the designated device. On the other hand, when the operation information record is not registered, "not selected" or the like may be displayed on the device icon 119.

On the main screen shown in FIG. 8A, an operation information record including the device ID “MFP-B” and the operation information “print”, “FAX transmission”, and “media save” is stored in the data storage area 62B. It is displayed when it is. That is, on the main screen shown in FIG. 8A, the operation icons 116 to 118 corresponding to the operation information “print”, “FAX transmission”, and “media save” and the device ID “MFP-B” are designated devices. Includes a device icon 120 indicating that it has been designated. In addition, the main screen shown in FIG. 8A includes a device switching message "The media storage function is available." Details of the device switching message will be described later.

Next, the output program 65 accepts the selection of the icon included in the main screen through the operation unit 54 (S14). The process of step S14 is an example of the third reception process. The output program 65 executes the device selection process, for example, in response to receiving the selection of the position of the device icon 119 through the operation unit 54 (S14: device icon) (S15). The device selection process is a process for allowing the user to select a designated device. The same process is executed when the device icon 120 shown in FIG. 8A is selected. The details of the device selection process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the output program 65 searches for the multifunction device 10 capable of executing the designated operation among the plurality of multifunction devices 10 capable of communicating through the communication unit 55 (S41). The output program 65 uses, for example, SNMP (abbreviation for Simple Network Management Protocol) to transmit a transmission request for device ID and 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 device 10 through the communication unit 55. Next, the output program 65 compares the operation ID of the designated operation with the operation ID included in the operation information received from the multifunction device 10. Then, the output program 65 specifies the multifunction device 10 whose operation information includes the operation ID of the designated operation as the target multifunction device. Since the designated operation has not yet been specified at the stage of the device selection process in step S15, the output program 65 specifies all the multifunction devices 10A and 10B capable of communicating through the communication unit 55 as the target multifunction devices. The process of step S41 is an example of the specific process.

The operation information may be model information indicating the model of the multifunction device 10. The output program 65 in this case accesses the correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the model information and the operation ID corresponding to the model information, and acquires the operation 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 device 10 of the model indicated by the model information. The correspondence information may be stored in the mobile terminal 50 or may be stored in a cloud server (not shown).

Next, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the device selection screen (S42). FIG. 8B is an example of a device selection screen. The device selection screen shown in FIG. 8B includes device icons 121 and 122. The device icons 121 and 122 correspond to the multifunction devices 10A and 10B, which are the target multifunction devices specified in step S41. Further, the device IDs of the corresponding multifunction devices 10A and 10B are described in the device icons 121 and 122. Then, the output program 65 accepts the selection of the icon included in the device selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S43). The process of step S43 is an example of the first reception process.

Next, the output program 65 receives the operation information of the multifunction device 10 corresponding to the device icon 122, for example, in response to receiving the selection of the device icon 122 through the operation unit 54 (S43: Yes) (S44). .. The method of receiving the operation information is common to the process of step S41. When the MIB of the multifunction device 10 is referred to in step S41, the process of step S44 can be omitted . MFP 10 corresponding to the selected devices icon is an example of a second device.

Next, the output program 65 is an operation information record including the device ID "MFP-B" described in the selected device icon 122 and the operation information of the multifunction device 10B identified by the device ID (hereinafter, "" The new operation information record ”is stored in the data storage area 62B (S45). When the operation information record is not stored in the data storage area 62B, the output program 65 newly stores the new operation information record in the data storage area 62B. This process is an example of a serial憶処sense.

Further, when the operation information record (hereinafter referred to as "old operation information record") is already stored in the data storage area 62B, the output program 65 compares the old operation information record with the new operation information record. .. Then, the output program 65 overwrites the old operation information record with the new operation information record according to the difference between the old operation information record and the new operation information record (S45). This process is an example of an update process. That is, when a multifunction device 10 different from the designated device is selected in the device selection process, the designated device is switched by the update process. On the other hand, the output program 65 skips the process of step S45 according to the match between the old operation information record and the new operation information record.

Further, in step S45, the output program 65 sets the device update flag to “ON” and generates a device switching message. The device switching message is a message included in the main screen displayed when the device update flag is set to "ON". The device switching message is a message notifying that the designated device has been switched. Specifically, the output program 65 identifies an operation indicated by the operation information included in the new operation information record but not indicated by the operation information included in the old operation information record. Then, the output program 65 generates a device switching message notifying that the specified operation can be executed.

In step S45, the output program 65 may always overwrite the old operation information record with the new operation information record without comparing the old operation information record with the new operation information record. Further, the output program 65 may set the device update flag to "ON" and generate a device switching message only when the old operation information record and the new operation information record are different from each other.

For example, when the device ID included in the old operation information record is "MFP-A" and the device ID included in the new operation information record is "MFP-B", as shown in FIG. 8 (A). A device switching message is generated stating "The media save function is now available." Then, the device switching message is included in the main screen in the first first display process after the update process is executed. The device switching message may be generated in step S12. In this case, the output program 65 temporarily stores the old operation information record in step S45, and deletes the old operation information record in step S12.

Further, the back icon 82 is further displayed in the common display area 80 when the device selection screen is displayed in the program display area 81. The back icon 82 is an example of a back object corresponding to switching to the screen immediately before being displayed on the display unit 53. The back icon 82 is not displayed when the menu screen and the main screen which is the initial screen of the output program 65 are displayed in the program display area 81, and is displayed when the other screens are displayed in the program display area 81. Program. The back icon 82 may be displayed in the program display area 81 instead of the common display area 80. Further, the output program 65 may display the back icon 82 in the program display area 81.

Then, the OS 64 outputs the notification information indicating that the back icon 82 has been selected to the output program 65 in response to the acceptance of the selection of the back icon 82 displayed together with the device selection screen through the operation unit 54. The output program 65 skips the processes of steps S43 to S45 in response to receiving the notification information output from the OS 64, and causes the display unit 53 to display the main screen again. That is, the main screen displayed on the display unit 53 immediately before the device selection screen is displayed is displayed again. In the present embodiment, assuming that the back icon 82 displayed together with the device selection screen shown in FIG. 8B is selected and the main screen shown in FIG. 7B is displayed, the following description will be continued. ..

Returning to FIG. 4, the output program 65 receives one selection of the operation icons 116 and 117 through the operation unit 54 (S14: operation icon), and the output program 65 corresponds to the selected operation icons 116 and 117. The operation ID for identifying the device and the device ID described in the device icon 119 are temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B. The temporarily stored operation ID is a designated operation ID that identifies the specified operation. The temporarily stored device ID is a designated device ID that identifies the designated device. In the present embodiment, the following description will be continued assuming that the operation ID of the print operation is temporarily stored as the designated operation ID and the device ID “MFP-A” is temporarily stored as the designated device ID.

Next, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the data selection screen (S16). Further, the output program 65 accepts the selection of the icon included in the data selection screen through the operation unit 54 (S17). The process of step S16 is an example of the second display process, and the process of step S17 is an example of the fourth reception process.

FIG. 9A is an example of a data selection screen. The data selection screen shown in FIG. 9A includes a plurality of data icons 123, 124, 125. Data icons 123 to 125 are examples of data objects corresponding to content data that can be designated as designated data. The data ID (for example, file name) of the corresponding content data is described in the data icons 123 to 125. The content data corresponding to the data icons 123 to 125 may be stored in the content data folder, or may be stored in a server (not shown) capable of communicating through the communication unit 55.

Next, the output program 65 receives content data corresponding to the selected data icon as designated data in response to receiving one selection of the data icons 123 to 125 through the operation unit 54 (S17: Yes). Temporarily store in the storage area 62B. Alternatively, the output program 65 may temporarily store information that identifies the designated data (hereinafter, referred to as “designated data ID”) in the data storage area 62B instead of the designated data itself. The designated data ID may be, for example, information indicating a storage location of the designated data or a URL indicating the designated data. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the data icon 123 is selected, and the following description will be continued. On the other hand, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the main screen again in response to receiving the notification information indicating that the back icon 82 displayed together with the data selection screen has been selected from the OS 64.

Next, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the third preview screen, which is an example of the preview screen, in response to receiving the selection of the data icon 123 through the operation unit 54 (S17: Yes) (S18). .. Further, the output program 65 accepts the selection of the icon included in the third preview screen through the operation unit 54 (S19). The process of step S18 is an example of the preview display process, and the process of step S19 is an example of the second reception process.

FIG. 9B is an example of the third preview screen. The third preview screen shown in FIG. 9B includes a third preview image 126, a print instruction icon 127, and a fax switching icon 128. On the other hand, the third preview screen shown in FIG. 9B does not include the device switching icon described later. The third preview image 126 is an example of a preview image showing an image in which the designated data designated in step S17 is output by the designated operation designated in step S14. That is, the third preview image 126 shows an image in which the image represented by the image data identified by the file name “photograph.JPEG” is recorded on the recording paper.

The print instruction icon 127 is an example of a third output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute a print operation on the designated data. The FAX switching icon 128 is an example of a third operation switching object corresponding to an instruction to switch the designated operation from the print operation to the FAX transmission operation. That is, the preview screen includes an output instruction object corresponding to the specified operation and an operation switching object corresponding to the operation different from the specified operation among the plurality of operations indicated by the operation information of the operation information record. On the other hand, the preview screen when there is one operation indicated by the operation information included in the operation information record does not include the operation switching object.

Next, the output program 65 transmits the print instruction information to the multifunction device 10A through the communication unit 55 in response to the selection of the print instruction icon 127 being received through the operation unit 54 (S19: output icon) (S20). The print instruction information is an example of the third output instruction information for causing the designated device to execute the print operation for the designated data. The print instruction information of the present embodiment includes image data identified by the file name “photograph.JPEG” and a designated operation ID that identifies the output operation “print”. Then, the output program 65 transmits the print instruction information to the multifunction device 10A, which is a designated device, through the communication unit 55. The process of step S20 is an example of the output instruction process. The print instruction information may include a designated data ID such as a URL instead of the designated data itself.

On the other hand, although not shown, the control program 35 of the multifunction device 10A receives print instruction information from the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25. Then, the control program 35 causes the printer unit 11 to execute a print operation according to the received print instruction information. That is, the printer unit 11 records the image indicated by the content data "photograph.JPEG" included in the print instruction information on the recording paper.

Returning to FIG. 4 again, the output program 65 receives the selection of the FAX switching icon 128 included in the preview screen shown in FIG. 9B through the operation unit 54 (S19: switching icon), and the data The designated operation ID temporarily stored in the storage area 62B is switched from the operation ID of the print operation to the operation ID of the FAX transmission operation. Further, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the preview screen again (S18). This process is common to the case where the switching icon is selected in step S36, and details will be described later. Further, the output program 65 receives the notification information indicating that the back icon 82 displayed together with the preview screen displayed in step S18 has been selected from the OS 64, and the data shown in FIG. 9 (A). The selection screen is displayed on the display unit 53 again.

On the other hand, the OS 64 activates the map program 66 in response to receiving the selection of the program icon 115 included in the menu screen through the operation unit 54. The map program 66 of the mobile terminal 50 causes the display unit 53 to display the map designation screen in response to being activated by the OS 64 that has accepted the selection of the program icon 115. FIG. 10A is an example of a map designation screen. The map designation screen shown in FIG. 10A includes a map display area 129, a [print] icon, and a [FAX] icon. Then, the map program 66 receives the user operation for the map display area 129, the [print] icon, and the [FAX] icon through the operation unit 54.

In the map display area 129, a part of the map image that can be displayed by the map program 66 is displayed. In the map display area 129 at the time of starting the map program 66, for example, a map image 130 including the current position of the mobile terminal 50 acquired from GPS (abbreviation of Global Positioning System) is displayed. The map program 66, for example, acquires map image data indicating the map image 130 to be displayed from a server (not shown) through the communication unit 55. Specifically, the map program 66 requests the map image data from the server through the communication unit 55, and receives the map image data returned from the server through the communication unit 55.

Then, the map program 66 changes the map image 130 to be displayed in the map display area 129 in response to receiving the user operation at the position of the map display area 129 through the operation unit 54. The map program 66 acquires map image data indicating the changed map image 130 from the server. The map image 130 displayed in the map display area 129 is, for example, slid according to the slide operation, reduced according to the pinch-in operation, and enlarged following the pinch-out operation.

Further, the map program 66 stores the map image data indicating the map image 130 displayed in the map display area 129 in the data storage area 62B in response to receiving the selection of the [print] icon through the operation unit 54. Let me. Then, the map program 66 specifies the designated information for the OS 64 and activates the output program 65 by using the sharing function. That is, the map program 66 executes the shared API with the program ID of the output program 65, the data ID of the map image data, and the operation ID of the print operation, which is the designated operation, as arguments. On the other hand, when the [FAX] icon is selected, the device ID of the FAX transmission operation is included in the argument of the shared API instead of the operation ID of the print operation.

[External startup process]
The OS 64 terminates or executes the map program 66 executed in the foreground or in the background according to the execution of the shared API, and starts the output program 65 to execute the map program 65 in the foreground. The output program 65 executes an external activation process in response to being activated by the map program 66 using the sharing function. The external activation process is a process of causing the designated device to output the designated data specified by the map program 66 in the output operation designated by the map program 66 or in the output operation designated through the output program 65. The details of the external startup process will be described with reference to FIG.

First, the output program 65 acquires the designated information output by the program that started the output program 65 (S31: Yes). Specifically, the output program 65 receives the designated information output by the OS 64 as a return value by executing the API that requests the designated information from the OS 64. Then, the output program 65 temporarily uses the data ID included in the designated information as the designated data ID and the operation ID included in the designated information as the designated operation ID (an example of the first operation identification information) in the data storage area 62B. Remember. Next, the output program 65 determines whether or not the operation information record is stored in the data storage area 62B (S32). The process of step S31 is an example of the first acquisition process, and the process of step S32 is an example of the second acquisition process. The operation information included in the operation information record is an example of the second operation identification information.

Next, the output program 65 reads the operation information included in the operation information record in response to the determination that the operation information record is stored in the data storage area 62B (S32: Yes), and the read operation information. It is determined whether or not the designated operation ID is included in (S33). Next, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the first preview screen, which is an example of the preview screen, in response to the determination that the read operation information includes the designated operation ID (S33: Yes). S35) . Processing of step S35 is an example of the preview display processing. Further, among the operations indicated by the operation information of the operation information record, the print operation identified by the designated operation ID is an example of the first output operation, and the FAX transmission operation is an example of the second output operation. The case of Yes in S32 and S33 is an example of the first situation.

FIG. 10B is an example of the first preview screen. The first preview screen shown in FIG. 10B is an example of the first preview image 131, the device icon 119, the print instruction icon 127 which is an example of the first output instruction object, and the first operation switching object. Includes FAX switching icon 128. The first preview image 131 is an example of a preview image showing an image obtained by outputting the map image data identified by the data ID acquired in step S31 in the printing operation identified by the operation ID acquired in step S31. The preview screen displayed in step S35 is different from the third preview screen displayed in step S18 in that the device icons 119 and 120 are included. Then, the output program 65 accepts the selection of the icon included in the preview screen through the operation unit 54 (S36). The process of step S36 is an example of the second reception process.

Next, the output program 65 receives the print instruction information, which is an example of the first output instruction information, through the communication unit 55 in response to the selection of the print instruction icon 127 being received through the operation unit 54 (S36: output icon). It is transmitted to the multifunction device 10A (S37). S37 is an example of output instruction processing. Since the process of transmitting the print instruction information in step S37 is common to the process already described in step S20, the description will be omitted again.

Further, the output program 65 sets the designated operation ID temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B as the operation ID of the print operation in response to receiving the selection of the fax switching icon 128 through the operation unit 54 (S36: switching icon). To switch to the operation ID of the FAX transmission operation. Further, the output program 65 re-executes the preview display process for displaying the second preview screen on the display unit 53 (S35). FIG. 11A is an example of the second preview screen. The second preview screen shown in FIG. 11A is an example of a preview screen including the second preview image 132, the device icon 119, the FAX instruction icon 133, and the print switching icon 134.

The second preview image 132 is an image showing an image in which the map image 130 indicated by the map image data is faxed and recorded on the recording paper in the fax receiving apparatus. The second preview image 132 differs from the first preview image 131 in that it includes, for example, a fax header. The FAX header includes, for example, a name indicating a FAX transmission source and a FAX transmission time. The FAX instruction icon 133 is an example of an output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to cause the designated device to execute a FAX transmission operation for the designated data. The print switching icon 134 is an example of an operation switching object corresponding to an instruction to switch the designated operation from the FAX transmission operation to the print operation.

Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the print switching icon 134 through the operation unit 54 (S36: switching icon), and receives the designated operation ID temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B as the operation of the fax transmission operation. Switch from the ID to the operation ID of the print operation. Further, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the first preview screen again (S35). Further, the output program 65 transmits the fax instruction information to the multifunction device 10A, which is the designated device, through the communication unit 55 in response to receiving the selection of the fax instruction icon 133 through the operation unit 54 (S36: output icon) (S36: output icon). S37). The FAX instruction information is an example of the second output instruction information for causing the designated device to execute the FAX transmission operation for the designated data.

The FAX instruction information of the present embodiment includes map image data which is designated data, a designated operation ID which identifies a FAX transmission operation which is a designated operation, and destination information (for example, a telephone number) which identifies an external device of the FAX transmission destination. And include. Although not shown, the control program 35 receives the fax instruction information from the mobile terminal 50 through the communication unit 25. Then, the control program 35 causes the FAX unit 13 to execute a FAX transmission operation according to the received FAX instruction information. That is, the FAX unit 13 faxes the map image data, which is the content data included in the FAX instruction information, to the external device specified by the destination information.

Further, the output program 65 determines that the read operation information does not include the designated operation ID in response to the determination that the operation information record is not stored in the data storage area 62B (S32: No). Correspondingly (S33: No), or in response to receiving the selection of the device icons 119 and 120 on the preview screen through the operation unit 54 (S36: device icon), the device selection process shown in FIG. 6 is executed (S34). ). In step S41, the output program 65 identifies the multifunction device 10 capable of executing the designated operation identified by the designated device ID. Since other processes have already been described, the description will be omitted again. Further, when No in S32, it is an example of the second situation. S34 is an example of the selection process.

Then, the output program 65 receives the selection of the device icon 122 through the operation unit 54 on the device selection screen shown in FIG. 8B, for example, and the designated device ID temporarily stored in the data storage area 62B. Is switched from the device ID "MFP-A" of the multifunction device 10A to the device ID "MFP-B" of the multifunction device 10B. Further, the output program 65 causes the display unit 53 to display the preview screen shown in FIG. 11 (B) (S35). The preview screen shown in FIG. 11B is different from the preview screen shown in FIG. 10B in that the device icon 120 is included in place of the device icon 119.

Further, the map program 66 is executed again in the foreground in response to the selection of the back icon 82 displayed with the preview screens shown in FIGS. 10B, 11A, and 11B. The program. That is, the OS 64 executes the output program 65 that has been executed in the foreground in the background, and executes the map program 66 in the foreground. Then, the map program 66 executed in the foreground displays the map designation screen shown in FIG. 10A on the display unit 53.

[Action and effect of this embodiment]
According to the above embodiment, when the designated device can execute the designated operation identified by the operation ID acquired from the map program 66, the designated device is made to execute the designated operation. On the other hand, when the designated device cannot execute the designated operation, the user is made to select the multifunction device 10 capable of executing the designated operation, and the selected multifunction device 10 is made to execute the designated operation. As a result, when the data ID and the operation ID are notified from the map program 66, the multifunction device 10 capable of executing the designated operation can output the designated data.

Further, according to the above embodiment, the user can confirm the image of the output result by displaying the preview screen on the display unit 53 before causing the multifunction device 10 to output the designated data. As a result, it becomes easy to obtain the output result desired by the user. In other words, it is possible to suppress re-processing due to the output result being different from the user's intention. Further, by including the switching icons 128 and 134 in the preview screen, the user who notices by looking at the preview screen that the designation of the output operation is incorrect can switch the designated operation through the output program 65. As a result, it is not necessary to restart the map program 66 to specify the correct output operation.

Further, according to the above embodiment, the designation of the multifunction device 10 for executing the designated operation can be accepted through the device icons 119 and 120. Here, the screen transition from the preview screen to the main screen by the back icon 82 is possible in the standard startup process, but not in the external startup process. Therefore, the device icons 119 and 120 may be included in the main screen in the standard startup process and the preview screen in the external startup process. On the other hand, it is not always necessary to include the device icons 119 and 120 in the preview screen in the standard startup process.

Further, according to the above embodiment, the device switching message is displayed on the main screen displayed next in response to the update of the operation information record. As a result, the user can be made aware of the change of the designated device. Further, since the executable operation may differ for each multifunction device 10, the user can recognize the operation that has become available or the operation that has become unavailable due to the switching of the designated device.

In the device selection process executed in step S34, the process of step S45 may be omitted. That is, the designation of the multifunction device 10 in step S34 is used only for the transmission of the output instruction information in step S37 immediately after that, and the operation information record including the device ID and the operation information of the multifunction device 10 is stored in the data storage area 62B. You don't have to remember it.

Further, in the mobile terminal 50 of the above embodiment, the CPU 61 executes various programs stored in the program storage area 62A of the storage unit 62, whereby each process executed by the control unit of the present invention is realized. 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 an IC (abbreviation of Integrated Circuit)).

Further, the present invention can be realized not only as a mobile terminal 50 but also as a program for causing the mobile terminal 50 to execute a process. Then, the program may be recorded and provided on a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium may include a storage unit mounted on a server that can be connected to the mobile terminal 50 through the communication network 101, in addition to a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, and the like. Then, the program stored in the storage unit of the server may be distributed as information or a signal indicating the program through a 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 ... Map program 50 ... Mobile terminal 53 ... Display unit 54 ... Operation unit 62 ... Storage unit

Claims (12)

An output program that can be read by a mobile terminal having a storage unit and a communication unit.
The storage unit stores the activation source program, the activation source program determines the content data and the output operation, activates the output program, and performs a process of designating the operation identification information indicating the output operation. The output operation can be executed by the terminal, and the output operation is an operation in which the processing device connected to the mobile terminal through the communication unit outputs the content data.
The output program
The first acquisition process for acquiring the first operation identification information, which is the operation identification information specified by the activation source program, in response to the activation by the activation source program.
A second acquisition process in which the operation identification information indicating the output operation that can be executed by the designated processing device, which is the processing device designated in advance, can be acquired from the storage unit as the second operation identification information.
In the first situation in which the designated processing device can execute the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information, the content data determined by the activation source program is output by the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information. Output instruction processing instructing the designated processing device through the communication unit, and
In the second situation where the second operation identification information cannot be acquired by the second acquisition process, the mobile terminal performs a selection process of selecting one of the processing devices from the processing devices capable of communicating through the communication unit. To run
In the output instruction process, the processing device selected in the selection process is instructed through the communication unit to output the content data determined by the activation source program in the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information. Output program. The output program according to claim 1, wherein the second situation is a situation in which the designated processing device is not designated. The output according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the selection process, the processing device capable of executing the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information is selected from the processing devices capable of communicating through the communication unit. program. The mobile terminal is made to execute a storage process in which the device identification information indicating the designated processing device and the operation identification information indicating the output operation that can be executed by the designated processing device are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit. ,
The output according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the second acquisition process, the operation identification information corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit can be acquired as the second operation identification information. program. In the first situation, the second operation identification information can be acquired by the second acquisition process, and the first operation identification information and the output operation indicated by the second operation identification information match each other, according to claim 1. The output program according to any one of 4. In the selection process, the processing device capable of executing the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information is selected as the designated processing device from the processing devices capable of communicating through the communication unit.
A storage process is performed in which the device identification information indicating the designated processing device selected in the selection process and the operation identification information indicating the output operation that can be executed by the designated processing device are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit. , Let the mobile terminal execute
The output program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in the second acquisition process, the operation identification information corresponding to the device identification information stored in the storage unit can be acquired as the second operation identification information. The activation source program can cause the mobile terminal to execute a process of designating data identification information indicating the determined content data.
In the first acquisition process, the content data identified by the data identification information is acquired, and the content data is acquired.
In the output instruction process, the output instruction information for outputting the content data identified by the data identification information acquired in the first acquisition process by the output operation identified by the first operation identification information is described. The output program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is output from the communication unit. The mobile terminal further includes an operation unit and a display unit.
A preview image showing an image of the content data acquired in the first acquisition process output in the output operation, and a preview screen including an output instruction object corresponding to an instruction to execute the output operation are displayed on the display unit. Let the mobile terminal execute the display process
The output program according to claim 7, wherein the output instruction information is output by the output instruction process in response to an operation of specifying the output instruction object by the operation unit. The mobile terminal can be connected to a plurality of the processing devices through the communication unit, and can be connected to the plurality of processing devices.
Each of the plurality of processing devices can execute the first output operation and the second output operation that are the output operations identified by the operation identification information and are different from each other.
The output program displays a first preview screen on the display unit in the preview display process, and the first preview screen is the first preview image, the first output instruction object, and the first output operation. The preview screen includes the first operation switching object corresponding to the switching to the two output operations, and the first preview image is the preview image showing an image obtained by outputting the content data in the first output operation. The first output instruction object is the output instruction object corresponding to the instruction to execute the first output operation.
The output program causes the second preview screen to be displayed on the display unit in the preview display process in response to the operation of designating the first operation switching object in the operation unit, and the second preview screen is the second. The preview screen including the preview image and the second output instruction object, the second preview image is the preview image showing the image of the content data output in the second output operation, and the second output instruction. The object is the output instruction object corresponding to the instruction to execute the second output operation.
The output program communicates the first output instruction information or the second output instruction information in the output instruction process in response to the operation of designating the first output instruction object or the second output instruction object by the operation unit. The first output instruction information is output from the unit, and the first output instruction information is the output instruction information for outputting the content data identified by the data identification information acquired in the first acquisition process in the first output operation. 8. The second output instruction information is the output instruction information for outputting the content data identified by the data identification information acquired in the first acquisition process in the second output operation. The output program described in. In response to the operation of designating the first operation switching object in the operation unit, the preview display process further includes a second operation switching object corresponding to the switching from the second output operation to the first output operation. The second preview screen is displayed on the display unit, and the second preview screen is displayed on the display unit.
The output program according to claim 9, wherein the first preview screen is displayed on the display unit in the preview display process in response to an operation of designating the second operation switching object in the operation unit. In the preview display process, the preview screen including the device switching object is displayed on the display unit, and the device switching object is an object corresponding to the switching of the processing device for executing the output operation.
The output program according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the output program causes the mobile terminal to execute the selection process in response to an operation of designating the device switching object by the operation unit. Memory and
With the communication department
A mobile terminal equipped with a control unit
The storage unit stores the start-up source program and the output program, and stores them.
The control unit that executes the activation source program determines the content data and the output operation, activates the output program, executes a process of designating the operation identification information indicating the output operation, and the output operation is the output operation. This is an operation in which the processing device connected to the mobile terminal through the communication unit outputs the content data.
The control unit that executes the output program
The first acquisition process of acquiring the first operation identification information, which is the operation identification information specified by the activation source program, in response to the activation by the control unit that executes the activation source program.
A second acquisition process in which the operation identification information indicating the output operation that can be executed by the designated processing device, which is the processing device designated in advance, can be acquired from the storage unit as the second operation identification information.
In the first situation in which the designated processing device can execute the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information, the first operation identification information uses the content data determined by the control unit that executes the activation source program. Output instruction processing instructing the designated processing device to output in the output operation shown through the communication unit, and
In the second situation in which the second operation identification information cannot be acquired by the second acquisition process, a selection process of selecting one of the processing devices from the processing devices capable of communicating through the communication unit is executed.
In the output instruction process, the processing device selected in the selection process so that the content data determined by the control unit that executes the activation source program is output in the output operation indicated by the first operation identification information. A mobile terminal that gives instructions to the user through the communication unit.

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