JP7742018B2 - Template Processing Program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a template processing program for printing using templates.

Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a technology for displaying a list of layout templates of data that make up printed materials in thumbnail format. This conventional technology allows for editing of data such as text data inserted into layout templates.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-259076

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the edited version of the template is not displayed when the thumbnails are displayed. In contrast, users typically remember the template in its edited form. Therefore, when the user intends to use the same template again at a later date and views the thumbnail list display, they are unable to easily find the desired template.

The object of this invention is to provide a template processing program that allows users to search for the desired edited template.

To achieve the above object, the template processing program is executed by a terminal device configured to be connectable to a printing device that creates printed materials, and causes a calculation unit of the terminal device to execute the following steps to enable the printing device to form, on the printed material, an edited image that reflects editing operations on a template configured so that print objects are allocated in a predetermined manner. To enable the printing device to form, on the printed material, an edited image that reflects editing operations on the template configured so that print objects are allocated in a predetermined manner, the program causes the calculation unit of the terminal device to execute the following steps: a read step of reading a template list that lists multiple templates; a determination step of determining whether the template list read in the read step includes a first template in which the corresponding edited image is stored; and, if it is determined in the determination step that the first template is included, a first display step of performing, on a display unit, a predetermined display for the first template on a list screen that displays a list of thumbnail images of each of the multiple templates included in the template list, making at least the edited image related to the first template visible.

When the template processing program of the present invention is executed on the computing unit of a terminal device, a loading procedure, a determination procedure, and a first display procedure are performed. In the loading procedure, a template list is loaded, and in the determination procedure, it is determined whether the first template is included in the list. The first template is a template that has a history of past editing using that template and stores an edited image that reflects the user's editing operations. If it is determined in the determination procedure that the first template is included in the template list, the first display procedure is performed. In the first display procedure, when thumbnail images of multiple templates are displayed in a list on a list screen, a predetermined display is performed for the first template so that at least the edited image that reflects the above-mentioned editing operations is visible.

According to the present invention, the user can visually view the first template on the list screen as an edited image, which is the appearance after the above editing operation, so the user can easily find the edited first template they remember.

This invention allows users to search for the edited template they are looking for.

1 is a system configuration diagram schematically illustrating the overall configuration of a printing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the functional configuration of an operation terminal and a label printer. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the cartridge. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays only thumbnail images of template data. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an editing screen on which template data is to be edited. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an editing screen for editing user edit label data. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen displaying thumbnail images of user-edited label data. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a template list management table. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for a label editing and printing process executed by a CPU of an operation terminal. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control procedure for a label editing and printing process executed by a CPU of an operation terminal. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on which only thumbnail images of template data and user-edited label data are selectively displayed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen that highlights thumbnail images of user-edited label data. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays selection buttons when the cursor is moved over a thumbnail image of user-edited label data. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays a pop-up window when a cursor is moved over a selection button. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen on which a badge is displayed on a thumbnail image of template data. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays user-edited label data when the cursor is moved over a badge. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays a pop-up window when the cursor is moved over a badge. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays a pop-up window when a cursor is placed over a thumbnail image of template data. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a thumbnail display screen that is scrolled when a "View more" button in a pop-up window is pressed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen that displays thumbnail images of template data and user-edited label data in a sliding switch manner. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating slide switching displays corresponding to a cursor over operation of sliding left and right. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail display screen that scrolls and displays thumbnail images of template data and user-edited label data from the beginning. 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of a template list management table and a user edited label list management table when managing a plurality of user edited label data.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<Overall system configuration>
FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a printing system according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the printing system 1 includes, for example, a label printer 2 and an operation terminal 3 configured as a general-purpose personal computer. Each operation terminal 3 is connected to the label printer 2 so that they can send and receive information to and from each other. In the illustrated example, the operation terminal 3 is connected via wired communication. Although not specifically illustrated, the operation terminal 3 may also be connected to the label printer 2 via wireless communication. The wired communication may be a wired LAN such as ETHERNET (registered trademark) or a USB connection, and the wireless communication may be a wireless LAN such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The label printer 2 creates a print label L based on print label data received from the operation terminal 3. The label printer 2 is an example of a printing device, the operation terminal 3 is an example of a terminal device, and the print label L is an example of a printed material.

<Operation terminal>
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation terminal 3 includes a CPU 31, a memory 32 such as a RAM or a ROM, an operation unit 33, a display unit , a communication control unit 35, and a large-capacity storage device .

The operation unit 33 is composed of, for example, a mouse and keyboard, through which instructions and information are input by the user. The display unit 34 is composed of, for example, an LCD display, and displays various information and messages. In this example, the communication control unit 35 controls the exchange of signals with the label printer 2 via the wired communication. The mass storage device 36 stores various programs and information. The CPU 31 performs various processes and sends and receives various signals to and from the label printer 2 in accordance with programs stored in advance in the ROM or mass storage device 36, while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM. In this example, the memory 32 or mass storage device 36 has previously stored therein the print label data editing program, template data, user-edited label data, thumbnail image data, and template list file, which will be described later.

<Label printer>
2, the label printer 2 has a control circuit 21, a cartridge holder 22 to which the cartridge 101 can be attached or detached, a communication control unit 23, a touch panel 41, and a large-capacity storage device 42. The cartridge holder 22 is configured to allow the cartridge 101 to be attached or detached. The control circuit 21 of the label printer 2 is connected to the communication control unit 35 of the operation terminal 3 via the communication control unit 23, thereby enabling the label printer 2 to send and receive information to and from the operation terminal 3. The touch panel 41 is configured by combining a liquid crystal display and a touch pad, and displays various information and messages, and also allows the user to input instructions such as an operation position on the display screen.

Note that the CPU 31 described above is an example of a calculation unit.

<Cartridge and Cartridge Holder>
The detailed structure of the cartridge 101 and the cartridge holder 22 and its vicinity is shown in Figure 3. The cartridge 101 includes a housing 101A, a first roll 103 disposed within the housing 101A and wound with a strip-shaped base tape 102, a second roll 105 wound with a transparent cover film 104 having the same width as the base tape 102, a ribbon supply roll 107 that pays out an ink ribbon 106, a ribbon take-up roller 108 that takes up the ink ribbon 106 after printing, and a tape feed roller 109 rotatably supported near the tape discharge portion of the cartridge 101. However, if the cover film 104 is a heat-sensitive tape that can develop a predetermined color upon receiving heat, the ink ribbon 106 is not necessary. Note that the first roll 103 and the second roll 105 are actually spiral-shaped, but are shown in the figure as concentric circles for simplicity.

The first roll 103 has the base tape 102 wound around a reel member 103A. The base tape 102 is constructed, for example, by laminating an adhesive layer for bonding, a base layer, an adhesive layer for bonding, and a release material layer in this order from the side wound on the inside of the first roll 103 to the opposite side. The second roll 105 has the cover film 104 wound around a reel member 105A. The tape feed roller 109 presses and bonds the base tape 102 and the cover film 104 together to form the print label tape 110, while feeding the tape.

The cartridge holder 22 is provided with a ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 27 for winding up the used ink ribbon 106 inside the cartridge 101, and a tape feed roller drive shaft 28 for transporting the print label tape 110. The ribbon take-up roller 108 and tape feed roller 109 are driven to rotate in unison as the driving force of a transport roller motor (not shown) is transmitted to the ribbon take-up roller drive shaft 27 and tape feed roller drive shaft 28. The cartridge holder 22 also has a print head 29 for forming the desired print on the cover film 104 being transported.

Along the transport path of the print label tape 110, downstream of the tape feed roller 109 and the pressure roller 24, there is provided a fixed blade 25 and a movable blade 26 that cooperates with the fixed blade 25 to cut the print label tape 110 in the thickness direction.

<Outline of label printer operation>
In the label printer 2 configured as described above, when the cartridge 101 is installed in the cartridge holder 22, the cover film 104 and ink ribbon 106 are sandwiched between the print head 29 and the opposing platen roller 30. The base tape 102 and cover film 104 are sandwiched between the tape feed roller 109 and the opposing pressure roller 24. The ribbon take-up roller 108 and the tape feed roller 109 are synchronously rotated in the directions indicated by arrows B and C in FIG. 3, respectively, thereby rotating the pressure roller 24 and the platen roller 30. The base tape 102 is unwound from the first roll 103 and supplied to the tape feed roller 109. The cover film 104 is unwound from the second roll 105, and a print drive circuit (not shown) energizes multiple heating elements of the print head 29, causing text, graphics, etc. to be printed on the cover film 104. After printing on the cover film 104 , the ink ribbon 106 is wound onto the ribbon winding roller 108 by the drive of the ribbon winding roller drive shaft 27 .

The base tape 102 and the cover film 104 on which the printing has been completed are bonded and integrated by the tape feed roller 109 and pressure roller 24, forming the print label tape 110, which is then discharged from the cartridge 101. The print label tape 110 discharged from the cartridge 101 is cut by the cooperation of the fixed blade 25 and movable blade 26, and the print label L is produced.

<Template data, thumbnail display screen, and editing operations>
As described above, the label printer 2 creates a print label L based on the print label data received from the operation terminal 3. The data content of this print label data itself records the content of print objects such as text and figures to be printed in a specified tape surface area, as well as their placement position, size, print style, etc. The user can edit and generate print label data to any print content using a print label data editing program (described below) that runs on the operation terminal 3, and by sending this to the label printer 2, a print label L corresponding to that print content can be created.

However, it is extremely cumbersome for a user to manually edit the contents of print label data from start to finish using the print label data editing program. For this reason, manufacturers of the label printer 2 and print label data editing program may prepare numerous template data sets, which are templates for print label data configured by allocating specific print objects in a predetermined manner. Each template data set contains print objects with the specified content set by the manufacturer, with the appropriate position, size, and print style. The data is categorized by purpose and print content and saved as part of the data in the print label data editing program. A user can easily generate the desired print label data by simply selecting template data of a category that corresponds to the intended use in the print label data editing program and editing the data content of some of the print objects. Template data is an example of a template. In this specification, a template refers to a configuration in which multiple print objects, such as characters and figures, or in other words, template elements, are allocated in a predetermined arrangement.

Figure 4 shows a thumbnail display screen that the print label data editing program (referred to as the "print label editing app" in the figure) displays on the display unit 34 when the user selects template data in this embodiment. Note that each of the display screens shown below, including Figure 4, is a so-called GUI (Graphical User Interface) compatible screen that allows instruction operations using the cursor CU via the mouse on the operation unit 33. The thumbnail display screen shown in Figure 4 is displayed while the "New Creation" mode shown on the left side of the figure is maintained after the user selects the "Kitchen" category in the illustrated example on a category selection screen (not shown). When the "Open" mode is selected, the screen transitions to a designation screen (not shown) that allows the user to designate user-edited label data from an arbitrary storage location, as described below. When the "Close" mode is selected, the print label data editing program terminates its processing. Note that this thumbnail display screen is an example of a list screen.

The thumbnail display screen shown in Figure 4 displays four thumbnail images Sd (in the illustrated example, "Sweets," "Trash Can," "Jam," and "Condiments") corresponding to four template data created by the manufacturer in advance for use in kitchens. As mentioned above, the print label data itself, including template data, is data that records the content of print objects, their position, size, and print style, and displaying the data content as is would be difficult for the user to distinguish. Therefore, the thumbnail display screen, which is displayed when the user selects template data to edit, does not display the data content of each template data itself, but instead displays a list of thumbnail images Sd that specifically depict the print content represented by each template data as icons for the user to select. Also, in the illustrated example, a blank label button 61 is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen, allowing the user to start editing from blank print label data without using template data prepared in advance by the manufacturer.

When the "Trash Can" thumbnail Sd in the illustrated example is selected as the object to be edited, the screen transitions to the label data editing screen shown in Figure 5. The label data editing screen shown in Figure 5 displays only the display content of the "Trash Can" thumbnail Sd to be edited, that is, the exterior image of the print label L corresponding to the print content of the corresponding template data, along with various operation menus and buttons. The template data in the illustrated example includes a text object 81 consisting of the character string "Combustible Garbage" and a graphic object 82 consisting of an illustrated image of a trash can.

In this way, the user can perform various editing operations on the label data editing screen for template data created in advance by default by the manufacturer, such as changing the content of text object 81 to "empty can" as shown in Figure 6. When the user then presses the print button 62, print label data corresponding to the print content at the time of editing is sent to the label printer 2, and the print label L can be created. Furthermore, when the user presses the save button (not shown) in the file menu, the print label data corresponding to the print content at the time of editing is saved in a desired save location. Print label data that has been modified, even in part, by the user's editing operations from the default template data and then printed and saved is referred to below as user-edited label data.

<Thumbnail display of user edited label data>
In general, for example, a user may create a plurality of user-edited labels by modifying the text object 81 of the above-mentioned "trash can" template data with variations such as "empty bottle,""plastictrash," and "non-burnable trash." When the same template data is used repeatedly in this way, it is conceivable to display a list of only the default thumbnails Sd corresponding to the default template data each time the template is selected, as shown in FIG. 4 above.

However, users tend to remember only the print content they have previously modified. Even if they browse the thumbnail display screen to select the same template data again after a long period of time has passed, they will not be able to easily find the desired template data if only the default thumbnails Sd are listed.

In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, which corresponds to the example above, a thumbnail Su corresponding to the user-edited label data is displayed on the thumbnail display screen. Specifically, if previously edited user-edited label data exists for each template data, the thumbnail Su corresponding to the most recently edited user-edited label data (with the text "Empty Can") is displayed preferentially, replacing the default thumbnail Sd (with the text "Burnable Garbage"). Note that this type of display on the thumbnail display screen is an example of a predetermined display.

When the user selects a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data on the thumbnail display screen shown in Figure 7, in this embodiment, the user-edited label data corresponding to that thumbnail Su is displayed on the label data editing screen as the target for editing (see Figure 6).

Here, when saving user-edited label data created by the print label data editing program in a storage location specified by the user as described above, the storage location of the user-edited label data must also be recorded and managed. Furthermore, with regard to image data of the thumbnails Sd and Su, generating image data of the corresponding thumbnails Sd and Su based on each print label data (template data, user-edited label data) each time it is displayed on the thumbnail display screen would impose a heavy internal processing burden. Therefore, for all print label data, image data of the corresponding thumbnails Sd and Su is also generated in advance and saved in the same storage location as the print label data. Furthermore, even if the user does not perform any particular save operation, image data of the corresponding thumbnail Su is automatically generated for user-edited label data that has been printed and saved in the same specified storage location. In this embodiment, the storage location is managed only for the most recently edited and generated set of user-edited label data and thumbnail Su.

As described above, Figure 8 shows a template list management table used by the print label data editing program to record and manage the storage locations of template data, user-edited label data, and the corresponding thumbnails Sd and Su. The example template list management table shown in Figure 8 corresponds only to the "Kitchen" category, and records the following items of information: an ID and template name as identification information corresponding to each of the four default template data in accordance with the above example, a template file path indicating the storage location of that template data, a template thumbnail file path indicating the storage location of image data for the default thumbnail Sd corresponding to that template data, a user-edited label file path indicating the storage location of user-edited label data based on that template data, and a user-edited label thumbnail file path indicating the storage location of image data for the thumbnail Su corresponding to that user-edited label data.

The file name of each print label data (template data, user-edited label data) has the extension ".lbx." Furthermore, in this embodiment, the image data of each thumbnail Sd, Su is in PNG data format, and therefore the file name has the extension ".png." In the illustrated example, the file path information is recorded in a relative path notation format used in a directory file management system, but it may also be recorded in an absolute path notation format. The illustrated example shows that the default template data and the image data of each thumbnail Sd are stored in the same "Template" directory. Furthermore, it shows that the user-edited label data and the image data of the corresponding thumbnail Su are both stored in the "edited-label" directory within the "tanaka" directory, which is two levels above the "Template" directory.

The template list management table with the above recorded contents is saved as data in template list file format at the same directory level as the "Template" directory. This allows the print label data editing program to easily obtain all print label data and the image data of the corresponding thumbnails Sd and Su by referencing the template list file. Then, the thumbnail display screen can display the thumbnails Sd and Su corresponding to each template data and user-edited label data.

Note that template data in which corresponding user-edited label data is stored ("000_trash.lbx" in this example) is an example of a first template, and other template data in which user-edited label data is not stored ("000_biscuit.lbx", "000_jam.lbx", "000_salt.lbx" in this example) are examples of second templates. The image of the thumbnail Su of the user-edited label data containing the text object 81 for "empty can" is an example of an edited image related to the first template, the image of the thumbnail Sd of the template data containing the text object 81 for "burnable trash" is an example of a thumbnail image of the first template, and a directory is an example of a folder.

<Control procedure>
An example of the control procedure for the label editing and printing process executed by the CPU 31 of the operation terminal 3 to realize the above-described method in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 9 and 10. Note that in the figures, for convenience of illustration, template data is abbreviated as "template," user-edited label data as "user-edited label," and image data of thumbnails Sd and Su as "thumbnail," etc. This control procedure begins when the print label data editing program is started.

First, in S105, a category selection screen (not shown) is displayed on the display unit 34, and then in S110, the process loops and waits until the user performs an operation to select a specific category.

When the user performs a category selection operation, the process proceeds to S115, and the thumbnail display screen for the selected category is displayed with the center blank and no thumbnails Sd or Su are displayed yet.

Next, in S120, the template list file (template list management table) is obtained from the directory of the selected category.

Next, in S125, the template list file is referenced, and one template data to be displayed is set in the order of registration. Then, in S130, it is determined whether the file path of the user-edited label data corresponding to that template data is recorded in the template list file. If the file path of the user-edited label data is recorded, the determination is YES, and in S140 a directory search based on that file path is performed to obtain image data of the thumbnail Su corresponding to the user-edited label data, and the program proceeds to S145.

On the other hand, if the file path of the user-edited label data is not recorded in S130, the result is NO, and in S135 the image data of the default thumbnail Sd corresponding to the target template data is obtained, and the process proceeds to S145.

In S145, thumbnails Sd and Su are displayed on the thumbnail display screen using the acquired image data.

Next, in S150, it is determined whether all thumbnails Sd, Su have been displayed. If there are any thumbnails Sd, Su that have not yet been displayed, the result is NO and the process returns to S125. On the other hand, if all thumbnails Sd, Su have been displayed, the result is YES and the process proceeds to S155.

In S155, the process loops and waits until the user selects one of the thumbnails Sd or Su on the thumbnail display screen, and when the selection is made, the process proceeds to S160.

In S160, it is determined whether the thumbnail S selected by the user corresponds to the user-edited label data. If a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data has been selected, the determination is YES, and in S165 the template list file is referenced, and the user-edited label data is obtained by a directory search based on the user-edited label file path corresponding to the selected thumbnail Su, and the process proceeds to S175.

On the other hand, if the default thumbnail Sd is selected in S160, the result is NO, the default template data corresponding to the selected thumbnail Sd is obtained in S170, and the process proceeds to S175.

In S175, the label data editing screen is displayed with the user-edited label data acquired in S165 or the template data acquired in S170 as the editing target. Note that in the procedure in S165 above, if a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data is selected, the default template data corresponding to the selected thumbnail Su may be acquired. In that case, the label data editing screen is displayed in S175 with the acquired template data as the editing target (see Figure 5).

Next, in S180, it is determined whether an editing operation has been performed by the user. If an editing operation has been performed, the determination is YES, and the process proceeds to S185, where editing processing of the user-edited label data corresponding to the content of the editing operation is executed, and the process proceeds to S190. On the other hand, if an editing operation has not been performed, the determination is NO, and the process proceeds directly to S190.

In S190, it is determined whether the user has performed a print operation, i.e., whether the print button 62 in this example has been pressed. If a print operation has not been performed, the result is NO and the process proceeds to S195.

In S195, it is determined whether the user has performed a save operation, i.e., whether a save button (not shown in this example) has been pressed. If a save operation has not been performed, the result is NO and the process proceeds to S200.

In S200, it is determined whether the user has performed an operation to end the editing operation on the label data editing screen. If the user has not performed an operation to end the editing operation, the result is NO and the process returns to S180. On the other hand, if the user has performed an operation to end the editing operation, the result is YES and the flow ends.

On the other hand, if a print operation is being performed in S190, a YES determination is made, and in S205 the user-edited label data in the edited state at that time is sent to the label printer 2, causing the print label L to be created.

Then, in S210, the label save process is executed to save the user-edited label data at that time. In this embodiment, the user-edited label data is saved to any storage location specified by the user via an operation in a separate window (not shown). If previous user-edited label data based on the same template data is saved in the same storage location, it is overwritten and saved with the new user-edited label data.

Next, in S215, a thumbnail Su is generated using a data image that reflects the printed content of the user-edited label at that time, and is saved (overwritten) in the same storage location as the user-edited label.

Proceed to S220, where the file paths indicating the storage locations of the user edited label data and thumbnail Su are registered in the template list file along with their respective file names. Then proceed to S200.

On the other hand, if a save operation has been performed in S195, the result is a YES judgment, and the process proceeds to S210, where the same procedure is performed.

In the above, the procedure of S120 is an example of a reading procedure, the procedure of S130 is an example of a determination procedure, the procedure of S145 is an example of a first display procedure, the procedure of S205 is an example of a sending procedure, the procedure of S185 is an example of an editing operation reception procedure, the procedure of S210 is an example of a storage procedure, and the entire control procedure for the label editing and printing process is an example of a template processing program.

<Effects of the embodiment>
As explained above, in this embodiment, when the label edit and print process of the print label data editing program is executed by the CPU 31 of the operation terminal 3, the procedures of S120, S130, and S145 are carried out. In procedure S120, the template list file is read, and in procedure S130, it is determined whether or not the list includes template data in which corresponding user-edited label data has been recorded. Template data in which user-edited label data has been recorded is template data that has a history of past editing using that template data, and in which image data of a thumbnail Su that reflects the user's editing operations has been stored.

If step S130 determines that the template list file contains template data with corresponding user-edited label data recorded, step S145 is performed to display a thumbnail Su of the user-edited label data obtained in step S135. In this case, step S145 displays the thumbnail images Sd and Su of each of the multiple template data on the list screen, and for template data with user-edited label data recorded, a predetermined display is performed so that at least the thumbnail Su image corresponding to the user-edited label data that reflects the above editing operation is visible.

According to this embodiment, the user can view the template data with the user-edited label data recorded on the thumbnail display screen as a thumbnail image Su, which shows the template data after the editing operation, allowing the user to find the edited template they are looking for.

In this embodiment, the predetermined display in step S145 is displayed to include a thumbnail image Sd related to the template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded. This allows the user to easily find the edited template they are looking for by visually checking the thumbnail image Sd of the template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded, which is included in the predetermined display.

In this embodiment, in particular, the procedure S205 is executed to send print label data to the label printer 2 to form print content corresponding to the template data selected from the template list. This allows the user to create a print label L with print content using the template data selected from the template list on the label printer 2.

In particular, this embodiment executes the steps of S185, in which editing operations on the default template data displayed on the display unit 34 are accepted, and S210, in which user-edited label data reflecting the accepted editing operations is stored in a storage location separate from the default template data displayed on the display unit 34. As a result, when a user performs editing operations on the default template data displayed on the display unit 34, the user-edited label data reflecting the editing contents is stored in an appropriate location separate from the default template data in S210.

As a result, when the user searches for the same default template data that was edited at a later date, the image data of the thumbnail Su of the user-edited label data, which is the edited version of the template data, can be read and displayed on the thumbnail display screen, allowing the user to easily find the edited template they are looking for.

In particular, in this embodiment, in step S210, the user-edited label data that reflects the editing operations accepted in step S185 and the image data of its thumbnail Su are saved in a directory different from the directory (folder) in which the default template data displayed on the display unit 34 is saved. This allows the user-edited label data generated by editing the default template data and the image data of its thumbnail Su to be saved in a directory different from the original default template data, making data saving and organization easier.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the present invention. Such modifications will be described below in order. The same reference numerals will be used to designate parts equivalent to those in the above-described embodiment, and descriptions will be omitted or simplified as appropriate.

(1) Selective Display of Corresponding Template Data and User-Edited Label Data In the above embodiment, when a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data is selected on the thumbnail display screen, the display immediately switches to a label data editing screen for editing that user-edited label data, but this is not limited to this. For example, after selecting a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data on the thumbnail display screen, a separate selection screen such as that shown in FIG. 11 may be displayed next to the thumbnails Sd and Su of the default template data and the user-edited label data, allowing the user to select again. In this case, the user's selection operation on the initial thumbnail display screen is an example of a first predetermined operation, the procedure (not shown) for accepting this initial selection operation is an example of a first operation acceptance procedure, and the procedure (not shown) for displaying the next selection screen is an example of a second display procedure.

As described above, this modified example executes the steps of accepting a selection operation for a specific display on the initial thumbnail display screen, and displaying the next selection screen containing thumbnail images Sd, Su of the default template data and the user-edited label data on the display unit 34. This allows the user to view the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data and then perform a selection operation on it, thereby viewing the thumbnail image Sd of the original template data before editing.

As a result, the user can select default template data as the object for editing even after selecting a thumbnail Su of user-edited label data that they remember, thereby improving the degree of freedom of selection.

(2) Highlighting Thumbnail Images of User-Edited Label Data In the above embodiment, the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data and the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data were displayed in the same display format on the thumbnail display screen, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 12, which corresponds to Figure 7 above, the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data may be highlighted by being surrounded by a thick frame 63, while the thumbnail images Sd of the other default template data may not be highlighted in this way, thereby enabling them to be distinguished. In this case, the thick frame 63 is an example of a first marker.

As described above, in this modified example, the specified display on the thumbnail display screen further includes a bold border 63 indicating the presence of user-edited label data, which is not added to the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data but is added to the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data. This allows the user to recognize, when they view the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data, that the bold border 63 is also added, indicating that the image is the appearance after editing of the template data containing the user-edited label, and that the original template data before editing is a different appearance. Although not specifically shown, when a thumbnail image Su of user-edited label data highlighted with a bold border 63 on the thumbnail display screen is selected, the default template data may be displayed on the next editing screen as the data to be edited.

(3) Display of Selection Buttons on Thumbnail Images of User-Edited Label Data In the above embodiment, the user simply selects one of the thumbnail images Sd, Su displayed on the thumbnail display screen, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 13, when the cursor CU is placed over a thumbnail image Su of user-edited label data (hereinafter referred to as "cursor over"), the entire thumbnail image Su may be displayed in a shaded area, and selection buttons 64, 65 for the template data and the user-edited label data may also be displayed. The user can display the print label data corresponding to the selection button 64, 65 pressed on the next editing screen as the object to be edited. This allows the user to determine which template data contains the user-edited label data with the simple operation of placing the cursor over it.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 14, when the cursor is placed over a selection button 65 corresponding to user-edited label data, that selection button 65 is displayed in inverted black and white, and a thumbnail image Su of the specific user-edited label data is displayed in a pop-up window 66. This allows the thumbnail image Su of the specific user-edited label data to be confirmed simply by placing the cursor over it, without having to display the editing screen. Note that the pop-up window 66 in the illustrated example displays thumbnail images Su of multiple user-edited label data that have been edited and saved in the past; however, this type of storage management of multiple user-edited label data based on the same template data will be described in detail later.

(4) Badge Display on Thumbnail Image of User-Edited Label Data In the third modified example described above, the selection buttons 64, 65 were displayed only when the cursor was placed over the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data normally displayed on the thumbnail display screen, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a badge 67 may be displayed from the beginning on the thumbnail display screen in a position overlapping the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded. Then, when the cursor is placed over this badge 67, the display may be switched to the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data, instead of the thumbnail image Sd of the template data, as shown in FIG. 16. This makes it easy to switch between the display of the default template data and the user-edited label data simply by switching whether the cursor is over the badge 67 or not, making it easy to compare the two thumbnail images Sd and Su.

Note that the badge 67 is an example of a second mark, a cursor hover operation over the badge 67 is an example of a second predetermined operation, a procedure (not shown) for accepting a cursor hover operation over the badge 67 is an example of a second operation acceptance procedure, and a procedure (not shown) for displaying a thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data in response to a cursor hover operation is an example of a third display procedure.

As described above, according to this modified example, the specified display on the thumbnail display screen includes a thumbnail image Sd of the default template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded. This allows the specified display on the thumbnail display screen to include the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded, while also making the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data visible. As a result, the user can easily find the edited template they are looking for by viewing the appearance of the original template data before editing, as well as the appearance after the editing operations have been reflected.

In particular, in this modified example, the specified display on the thumbnail display screen further includes a badge 67 indicating the presence of user-edited label data. This badge 67 is not added to template data that does not have user-edited label data recorded, but is added to thumbnail images Sd of default template data that does have user-edited label data recorded. This allows the user to recognize that the badge 67 is also added when they view the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data, and that the image is the original template data before editing, and that a different appearance exists after the template data has been edited.

In particular, this modified example executes the steps of accepting a cursor hover operation over the badge 67 and displaying a screen including a thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data on the display unit 34 in response to the cursor hover operation. This allows the user to view the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded, and then hover the cursor over the badge 67 to view the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data, which is the edited version of the template data.

Also, as shown in Figure 17, when the cursor hovers over the badge 67, instead of switching between the thumbnail images Sd and Su themselves, a pop-up window 66 containing the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data may be displayed, similar to the one shown in Figure 14 above.

(5) Pop-up Window Display Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 18, instead of displaying the badge 67, a thumbnail image Sd of the default template data may be displayed on the thumbnail display screen from the start, and a pop-up window 66 containing a thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data may be displayed simply by hovering the cursor directly over it. This allows multiple user-edited label data to be viewed together.

Note that each of the pop-up windows 66 shown above can only display a predetermined number of thumbnail images Su of user-edited label data (a maximum of three in this example). However, by pressing the "View more" button 68 displayed at the bottom of the pop-up window 66, it is possible to switch to a scrolling display in which more thumbnail images Su of user-edited label data can be viewed, as shown in FIG. 19, for example. Furthermore, although not specifically shown, if the thumbnail images Su of multiple user-edited label data displayed in the pop-up window 66 have different tape widths, they can be displayed at equal intervals in the scrolling direction, minimizing the overall amount of scrolling required.

(6) Slide-switching display of template data and user-edited label data In the above embodiments and modifications, the thumbnail display screen initially displays either the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data or the thumbnail image Su of the corresponding user-edited label data, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Fig. 20, in a single thumbnail image display area, half of the thumbnail images Sd and Su of the default template data and the user-edited label data may be simultaneously displayed on either side of a slide boundary line 69 indicated by diagonal lines in the center.

Furthermore, in this modified example, when the cursor is moved over the display area of the thumbnail image S, sliding it from the left edge to the right, as shown in Figure 21(a), the slide boundary 69 also slides to the right in accordance with this operation, thereby enlarging the display area of the thumbnail image Sd of the template data. Conversely, when the cursor is moved over the display area of the thumbnail image S, sliding it from the right edge to the left, as shown in Figure 21(b), the slide boundary 69 also slides to the left in accordance with this operation, thereby enlarging the display area of the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data. As a result, initially, half of the thumbnail images Sd, Su of the default template data and the user-edited label data can be viewed simultaneously, and the corresponding thumbnail images Sd, Su can be viewed in their entirety as the cursor is moved left or right. Note that the cursor hover operation of sliding left and right is an example of a third predetermined operation, the procedure (not shown specifically) of accepting this cursor hover operation of sliding left and right is an example of a third operation acceptance procedure, and the procedure (not shown specifically) of enlarging and displaying the corresponding thumbnail images Sd and Su by this cursor hover operation of sliding left and right is an example of a fourth display procedure.

As described above, according to this modified example, the predetermined display on the thumbnail display screen includes a thumbnail image Sd of the default template data in which the user-edited label data is recorded, as well as a thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data. This allows the user to easily find the edited template they are looking for by visually checking the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data while comparing it with the thumbnail image Sd of the template data included in the predetermined display.

In particular, this modified example executes the following steps: accepting a cursor hover operation to slide left or right over either the thumbnail images Sd, Su of the template data or the user-edited label data; and displaying a screen including the entire corresponding thumbnail image Sd, Su on the display unit 34 in response to this left or right sliding cursor hover operation. This allows the user to view the entirety of one of the thumbnail images Sd, Su after viewing the thumbnail images Sd, Su of the template data or the user-edited label data, by performing a cursor hover operation to slide left or right corresponding to either one of them.

(7) Scrolling display of template data and user-edited label data Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 22, the thumbnail display screen may be configured to scroll from the beginning to display a thumbnail image Sd of the default template data and a thumbnail image Su of the corresponding user-edited label data. This allows the thumbnail image Sd of the default template data and the thumbnail image Su of the user-edited label data to be switched between by a direct scroll operation, without the need for a cursor-over operation.

(8) Saving Multiple User-Edited Label Data When multiple user-edited label data are to be displayed in the pop-up window 66 or the like, it is advisable to create two list files (list management tables): a template list file and a user-edited label list file, as shown in Figure 23, which corresponds to Figure 8 above.

The template list file in Figure 23(a) is a file that contains a table for managing a list of default template data. It differs from Figure 8 above in that it does not record the file path where the user-edited label data and its thumbnail images Su are saved, but rather records the user-edited label save directory path that indicates the save location of the user-edited label list file (extension ".db"). The example shown shows that the user-edited label list file is saved in the "edited-label" directory within the "tanaka" directory, which is two levels above the "Template" directory.

The user-edited label list file in Figure 23(b) is a file containing a table for managing user-edited label data in a list. The example user-edited label list file shown in Figure 23(b) is saved in the same "edited-label" directory along with all user-edited label data generated in accordance with one default template and its thumbnail image data. In the example shown, the following information is recorded for each of five previously created user-edited label data: an ID as identification information, a user-edited label file path indicating the storage location (data name) of that user-edited label data, a user-edited label thumbnail file path indicating the storage location (data name) of the image data of the thumbnail Su corresponding to that user-edited label data, a saved/printed date and time indicating the date and time that the user-edited label data and image data of the thumbnail Su were saved or printed, and a print count indicating the number of times that user-edited label data has been printed in the past.

In this case, for example, in the procedure at S120 in the flow charts of Figures 9 and 10, the template list file is first obtained, and then a user-edited label list file can be obtained by referencing it and searching the directory. By referencing the obtained user-edited label list file, it is possible to obtain image data for multiple thumbnails Su corresponding to each of the multiple user-edited label data in S135, and to display the save and print date and number of prints for each user-edited label data on the thumbnail display screen in S145. Also, by referencing the user-edited label list file, it is possible to obtain user-edited label list data corresponding to the selected thumbnail in S165, and to additionally save new user-edited label data and image data for that thumbnail Su in the same "edited-label" directory in S210 and S220, and record the date and number of prints.

Furthermore, the multiple generated user-edited label data (image data of the corresponding thumbnails Su) may be saved individually in different directories rather than together in the same directory. In this case, the corresponding user-edited label list files in each directory are also saved individually, and individual directory searches are possible if the save location of each user-edited label list file is recorded in the user-edited label save directory path of the template list file.

<About the problem to be solved and the effects of the invention>
The problems to be solved by the invention and the effects of the invention are not limited to those described above. That is, the present invention may solve problems or achieve effects not described above, or may solve only some of the problems or achieve only some of the effects described above.

<Shape, numbers, structure, and time series>
The components illustrated in the embodiments and drawings may be modified and improved as desired within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention in terms of shape, numerical value, or the structure or chronological relationship of multiple components.

In the above explanation, when terms such as "vertical," "parallel," and "plane" are used, they are not used in their strict sense. In other words, "vertical," "parallel," and "plane" mean "substantially vertical," "substantially parallel," and "substantially plane," allowing for design and manufacturing tolerances and errors.

In addition, in the above explanation, when external dimensions or sizes are described as "same," "equal," or "different," these descriptions are not used in their strict sense. In other words, "same," "equal," and "different" mean "substantially the same," "substantially equal," or "substantially different," allowing for design and manufacturing tolerances and errors.

However, if a specific judgment criterion or dividing value, such as a threshold or reference value, is specified, terms such as "same," "equal," and "different" will be used in their strict sense, unlike the above.

Furthermore, the flowcharts shown in Figures 9 and 10 do not limit the present invention to the procedures shown in the above flows, and steps may be added, deleted, or the order may be changed without departing from the spirit and technical concept of the invention.

In addition to the methods already described above, the methods of the above embodiments and their variations may be used in appropriate combinations.

In addition, although not specifically illustrated, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of its spirit.

2. Label printer (an example of a printing device)
3. Operation terminal (an example of a terminal device)
21 Control circuit 31 CPU (an example of a calculation unit)
34 Display unit 63 Bold frame line (an example of a first mark)
64, 65 Selection button (an example of the first mark)
66 Pop-up window 67 Badge (an example of a secondary landmark)
81, 82 Print object Sd, Su Thumbnail image L Print label (an example of a printed matter)
CU cursor

Claims (10)

A template processing program executed by a terminal device configured to be connectable to a printing device that creates printed matter, the program comprising: a computing unit of the terminal device; a template configured to allocate print objects in a predetermined manner; a print preview image of the printed matter created by a user through editing operations on the template; and a processing unit of the terminal device;
a reading step of reading a template list that lists a plurality of the templates;
a determination procedure for determining whether a first template is included in the template list read in the reading procedure , the determination procedure including determining whether an editing operation for the first template is recorded in the template list;
a first display step of, when it is determined in the determination step that the first template is included, performing a predetermined display on a display unit, for the first template, on a list screen that displays a list of thumbnail images of the plurality of templates included in the template list and functions as a template selection screen , such that at least the edited image related to the first template is visible, the predetermined display including the edited image related to the first template that is the print preview image, on the display unit ;
A template processing program to execute the above. The predetermined display is
2. The template processing program according to claim 1, further comprising a first mark indicating the presence of the first template, the first mark being added to the edited image related to the first template but not to a second template other than the first template. The calculation unit further
a first operation receiving step of receiving a first predetermined operation on the first mark or the predetermined display;
a second display step of displaying, on the display unit, a screen including a thumbnail image of the first template corresponding to the edited image in response to the first predetermined operation;
3. The template processing program according to claim 2 , wherein the template processing program executes the following steps. The predetermined display is
2. The template processing program according to claim 1, further comprising a thumbnail image of the first template and the edited image related to the first template. The calculation unit further
a third operation receiving step of receiving a third predetermined operation related to either the thumbnail image or the edited image;
a fourth display step of displaying a screen including the entire thumbnail image or the entire edited image on the display unit in response to the third predetermined operation;
5. The template processing program according to claim 4 , wherein the template processing program executes the following steps. The calculation unit further
6. The template processing program according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission procedure for transmitting print data to the printing device to form print content corresponding to the template selected from the template list. The calculation unit further
an editing operation receiving step of receiving an editing operation for the template displayed on the display unit;
a storage step of storing an edited image reflecting the editing operation accepted in the editing operation acceptance step, separately from the template displayed on the display unit;
7. The template processing program according to claim 1, wherein the template processing program executes the following steps: In the storage step,
8. The template processing program according to claim 7, wherein the edited image reflecting the editing operation accepted in the editing operation accepting step is saved in a folder different from a folder in which the template displayed on the display unit is saved. A template processing program executed by a terminal device configured to be connectable to a printing device that creates a printed material, the program including: a computing unit of the terminal device configured to enable the printing device to form, on the printed material, an edited image that reflects an edit operation on a template in which print objects are arranged in a predetermined manner;
a reading step of reading a template list file that lists a plurality of the templates, storage locations of the templates, and storage locations of the edited images of the templates;
a determination procedure of determining whether a first template is included in the template list file read in the reading procedure, wherein the first template is a template in which a storage location of an edited image reflecting an editing operation on the template is recorded in the template list file;
a first display step of, if it is determined in the determination step that the first template is included, performing a predetermined display on a display unit, for the first template, on a list screen that displays a list of thumbnail images of each of the templates included in the template list file, such that at least the edited image related to the first template is visible;
A template processing program to execute the above. If it is determined in the determination step that the first template is not included, the original template that has not been edited is
10. The template processing program according to claim 9, wherein the thumbnail images are displayed on the display unit.