JP6852819B2 - Printing equipment, printing methods, and printing programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device, a printing method, and a printing program, such as a printer, a copying machine, or at least a multifunction device that combines these functions.

Conventionally, PUSH type printing is performed in which image data is transmitted from an external device such as a PC to a printing device via a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet, and the printing device prints on printing paper. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). That is, the image data can be printed from the printing device by the user operating an external device such as a PC.

However, in the conventional printing apparatus, only PUSH type printing can be performed on the printing apparatus. That is, since the user cannot operate the printing device to print the image data stored in the external device, there is a problem that the expandability of the print target is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a printing apparatus, a printing method, and a printing program that expand the printing target.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a printing device that can be connected to a plurality of external devices that store files via a network and has an operation unit including a touch panel. A first selection screen for accepting file selection from a first list, which is a list of files stored in each of a plurality of specific external devices among a plurality of external devices, and is included in the first list. A display control means for controlling the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel, which includes information indicating the plurality of external devices for accumulating files, and a selection from the first list via the first selection screen. is to have a, a print control means for controlling the printing of the file, the display control means, second selection of accepting the selection of the particular external device from the second list is a list of the plurality of external devices The display on the touch panel of the screen and the selection of a file from the first list of files stored in each of the specific plurality of external devices among the plurality of external devices included in the second list are accepted. It controls the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel .

According to the present invention, by actively acquiring image data from the printing device side to the external device, it is possible to positively expand the printing target on the printing device side.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multifunction device of the first embodiment and a large number of external devices connected to the multifunction device via a communication network. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the image data management table held by the management server of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the multifunction device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a browsing / acquisition management table according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the multifunction device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an operation unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an initial display (basic screen) displayed on the touch panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a labor-saving display (simple screen) displayed on the touch panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a processing flow diagram showing the operation of the multifunction device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an ID and password request screen displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a group of folders displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a list of file names displayed on the touch panel. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an initial display (basic screen) displayed on the touch panel of the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel by the display processing unit according to the modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of a browsing / acquisition management table according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the multifunction device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a processing flow diagram showing a processing procedure until the multifunction device according to the second embodiment acquires image data.

Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the printing apparatus according to the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as “embodiment”) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As the operating condition items of this embodiment, various keys and icons as shown below will be described as an example.

The present embodiment is a printing device including a communication control device, and has a copy function, a facsimile (FAX) function, a print function, a scanner function, and an input image (an original image read by the scanner function or an image input by a printer or a fax function). ), A type of printing device that combines a function to store received fax documents and copy documents on a built-in hard disk, etc., so-called MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) applied to a multifunction device 21. An example is shown.

Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the printing device is applied to a multifunction device is described, but the present invention is not limited to such a multifunction device and may be applied to other electronic devices. As an example of this electronic device, a business office device provided in a business environment such as a copying device or a facsimile machine can be considered. By applying the printing device to these business office devices, cooperation between the devices existing in the office environment can be achieved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a multifunction device 21 according to the present embodiment and a large number of external devices connected to the multifunction device 21 via a communication network. As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 21 includes a plurality of external devices (another multifunction device 22, a printer device 23, a facsimile device 24, a scanner 25, a PC (Personal Computer) 26, a digital television 27, and the like, via LAN 11. It is connected to the management server 28b, etc.). The multifunction device 21 is connected to an external device (management server 28a, notebook PC 33, etc.) via the Internet 12. Then, the multifunction device 21 can process the data received from these external devices (for example, the data broadcast received by the digital television 27) by using the above-mentioned function.

Further, the management server 28a includes an external device (car navigation device (hereinafter, including "automobile") 29, and a mobile phone (hereinafter, "PHS telephone") via the Internet 12, the mobile phone network 13, and the nearest base station 14. And (including "PDA") 30, game machine 31, digital camera 32, etc.) are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other.

Further, the external device may be a device that can be connected to a network, and other than the mobile phone 30, for example, a car navigation device 29, a game machine 31, a digital camera 32, a notebook PC 33, or the like may be used. Although not shown, other examples of the external device may be a wristwatch, a vending machine, a water meter, a gas meter, or the like. These external devices transmit and receive information via a network such as the Internet 12 or the mobile phone network 13. Further, these external devices may be connected to a mobile phone or the like for communication, or may be communicated by a unique communication means installed in each device. Further, the external device according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit, and stores image data in the storage unit.

Further, although not shown, a server device such as an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server, an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server, or a distribution server may be connected to the network. In addition, the distribution server can send and receive e-mails, transfer files, and communicate with fax machines outside the office via a public network. Through these server devices, the multifunction device 21 can transmit and receive various information.

As shown in FIG. 1, since the multifunction device 21 is connected to the network, it becomes possible to communicate with external devices (including business office devices) such as PC26 and notebook PC33, and a storage device such as a hard disk. By incorporating the above, it has evolved into a so-called network multifunction device, and it has become possible to meet the various needs of users.

The management servers 28a and 28b are servers that manage information transmitted and received between the external device and the multifunction device 21, and may include a function as a Web server. Further, these management servers may be connected in the same LAN 11 as the multifunction device 21 like the management server 28b, or may be connected via a public network line such as the Internet 12 like the management server 28a. good. Further, the number of management servers connected via the network is not limited, and may be one, a plurality, or not installed if not necessary.

Further, the management servers 28a and 28b are general-purpose computers, and are equipped with an image management function for managing image data. The image management function is, for example, a program installed via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM or a network. Then, the program is executed by the CPUs of the management server 28a and the management server 28b to execute the functions described later.

The management servers 28a and 28b manage image data stored in an external device that is not always connected to a network (for example, a mobile phone network 13 or the Internet 12). In the present embodiment, when these external devices (for example, car navigation device 29, game machine 31, digital camera 32, notebook PC 33) are connected to the mobile phone network 13 or the Internet 12, the management server 28a is external to them. Synchronized with the device, the image data held by the external device is stored in the storage unit of the management server 28a. That is, the management server 28a centrally manages all the image data stored in these external devices. Further, the management may be performed by the management server 28b instead of the management server 28a.

Further, the management servers 28a and 28b manage the information of the managed image data in the image data management table. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the image data management table held by the management servers 28a and 28b. As shown in FIG. 2, in the image data management table, the creation date of the image data, the file storage location where the image data is stored, and the number of pages are managed in association with each other. Then, the management server 28a and the management server 28b perform a process of transmitting the image data in response to the image data transmission request from the multifunction device 21.

Further, the user has already operated the personal computer 26 or the like shown in FIG. 1 to output the image data to the multifunction device 21 for printing. However, in recent years, with the improvement of the interface technology in the multifunction device, there is an increasing demand for operating the multifunction device to use the image data stored in another external device. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the user operates the multifunction device 21 and requests the external device such as the personal computer 26 to output image data from the multifunction device 21, so that the external device prints the data. Image data is being acquired. As a result, the image data not stored in the multifunction device 21 can be used for printing or the like. As described above, the technique in which the multifunction device 21 positively requests the external device to output the image data is a feature not used in the conventional multifunction device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the multifunction device 21. As shown in this figure, the multifunction device 21 has a configuration in which a controller 310 and an engine unit (Engine) 360 are connected by a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The controller 310 is a controller that controls the control of the entire multifunction device 21, drawing, communication, and input from the operation unit 320. The engine unit 360 is a printer engine or the like that can be connected to a PCI bus, and is, for example, a black-and-white plotter, a 1-drum color plotter, a 4-drum color plotter, a scanner, a fax unit, or the like. The engine unit 360 includes an image processing portion such as error diffusion and gamma conversion in addition to a so-called engine portion such as a plotter.

The controller 310 includes a CPU 311, a north bridge (NB) 313, a system memory (MEM-P) 312, a south bridge (SB) 314, a local memory (MEM-C) 317, and an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). It has a 316 and a hard disk drive (HDD) 318, and has a configuration in which the north bridge (NB) 313 and the ASIC 316 are connected by an AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port) bus 315. Further, the MEM-P312 further has a ROM (Read Only Memory) 312a and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 312b.

The CPU 311 controls the entire multifunction device 21, has a chipset including NB313, MEM-P312, and SB314, and is connected to other devices via this chipset.

The NB 313 is a bridge for connecting the CPU 311 and the MEM-P312, SB314, and AGP315, and has a memory controller that controls reading and writing to the MEM-P312, a PCI master, and an AGP target.

The MEM-P312 is a system memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, a memory for expanding programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like, and includes a ROM 312a and a RAM 312b. The ROM 312a is a read-only memory used as a memory for storing programs and data, and the RAM 312b is a writeable and readable memory used as a memory for expanding programs and data, a memory for drawing a printer, and the like.

The SB314 is a bridge for connecting the NB 313 to a PCI device and peripheral devices. The SB314 is connected to the NB 313 via a PCI bus, and a network interface (I / F) unit or the like is also connected to the PCI bus.

The ASIC 316 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) for image processing applications that has hardware elements for image processing, and has a role of a bridge that connects the AGP315, the PCI bus, the HDD 318, and the MEM-C317, respectively. This ASIC316 includes a PCI target and an AGP master, an arbiter (ARB) that forms the core of the ASIC316, a memory controller that controls MEM-C317, and a plurality of DMACs (Direct Memory) that rotate image data by hardware logic or the like. It consists of an Access Controller) and a PCI unit that transfers data between the engine unit 360 via the PCI bus. An FCU (Fax Control Unit) 330, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 340, and an IEEE 1394 (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394) interface 350 are connected to the ASIC 316 via a PCI bus.

The MEM-C317 is a local memory used as a copy image buffer and a code buffer, and the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 318 is a storage for storing image data, programs, font data, and forms. Is.

The AGP315 is a bus interface for the graphics accelerator card proposed to speed up the graphics processing, and speeds up the graphics accelerator card by directly accessing the MEM-P312 with high throughput. ..

The touch panel included in the operation unit 320 according to the present embodiment may be a touch panel of a device having each function of a copying machine, a facsimile, a printer, etc. independently, or a touch panel of a multifunction device having each function overlapping. It may be.

By the control by the CPU 311 shown in FIG. 3, the pressing of the keys of the operation unit 320 (hereinafter, including the touch panel 600) is recognized and displayed.

Further, a browsing / acquisition management DB (Data Base) 10 is constructed in the ROM 212a. The browsing / acquisition management DB 10 is composed of a browsing / acquisition management table having a layout as shown in FIG. 4, and is a DB for managing folder data that can be browsed or acquired for each user. Further, the ROM 212a stores a program for executing the steps (S1 to S8) described later.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration realized by the above-mentioned program in the multifunction device 21 according to the first embodiment. As shown in this figure, the inside of the multifunction device 21 includes a communication processing unit 501, an image acquisition unit 502, a thumbnail generation unit 503, a display processing unit 504, a selection unit 505, and a printing unit 506.

The communication processing unit 501 performs data transmission / reception processing with an external device via a network (LAN11, Internet 12 and mobile phone network 13) according to an image acquisition unit 502 or the like described later.

The image acquisition unit 502 includes an image data request unit 511, a folder data request unit 512, and a folder data acquisition unit 513, and acquires image data stored in a storage unit of an external device. Further, the image acquisition unit 502 requests the communication processing unit 501 to receive the image data when acquiring the image data.

The image data requesting unit 511 requests the external device to transmit the image data. As a result, the communication unit 501 transmits the transmission request to the external device. Then, the image acquisition unit 502 allows the image acquisition unit 502 to acquire image data from the request destination external device. If the image data is managed in a folder unit in the storage unit of the external device and the multifunction device 21 requests the transmission of the image data in the folder unit, the folder data request unit 512 shown below transmits the image data. Make a request.

The folder data request unit 512 requests the external device to transmit the image data contained in each folder. As a result, the communication unit 501 transmits the transmission request to the external device. In the present embodiment, the folder data request unit 512 requests the transmission of the image data of the folder at the timing when the user specifies the folder. In this embodiment, the timing of the transmission request is not limited to such timing, and the transmission request may be made in advance before the user specifies the folder.

The folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the image data and the folder data contained in the folder from the external device that responds to the transmission request of the folder data request unit 512 via the reception process by the communication unit 501.

The thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data from the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 502.

The display processing unit 504 performs a process of displaying the generated thumbnail image data on the touch panel of the operation unit 320, which will be described later. The details of the display mode will be described later.

The selection unit 505 selects image data to be printed. In the present embodiment, when the user selects the thumbnail image displayed on the operation unit 320, the selection unit 505 selects the image data of the thumbnail image generation source selected by the user as the print target. To do. Further, the selection unit 505 may select a plurality of image data as print targets. Further, the selection unit 505 may select one or a plurality of image data stored in the storage unit of the external device for each external device.

The printing unit 506 performs a process of printing the image data selected by the selection unit 505. Further, when a plurality of image data are selected by the selection unit 505, the printing unit 506 performs a process of printing the selected plurality of image data at once.

Returning to FIG. 4, the browsing / acquisition management DB 10 manages the user ID, the password, and the browsing / acquiring folder in association with each other. Further, the field "viewable / acquireable folder" indicates a folder in which the user can view / acquire (image data). Further, in the field, an external device connected via a network may be set as a folder that can be viewed / acquired. Further, in the field, a predetermined folder in the external device may be set as a folder that can be viewed / acquired. Further, a URL can be set in the field. This makes it possible to browse and acquire the site information indicated by the set URL as a folder or image data.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the user identified by "user 001" can browse and acquire (including printing) the site of "http://test.jp/" and is held by a digital camera, a PC, etc. It shows that the image data can be viewed and acquired.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the operation unit 320 of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the operation unit 320 includes a numeric keypad (enter key) 601, a start key 602, a clear / stop key 603, a program key 604, a reset / preheat key 605, an interrupt key 606, and a trial key, centering on the touch panel 600. Each part such as a copy key 607 and a setting key 608 is provided.

Of these, the touch panel 600 displays icons and the like indicating operating conditions such as the output color and output paper size of the printing device, and can accept settings of these operating conditions by pressing the icons by the user. It is a liquid crystal display as a part of the display unit. Since the detection circuit for detecting that the touch panel 600 is pressed and the coordinate detection method are well known, the description thereof will be omitted. The numeric keypad (enter key) 601 has both a numeric keypad function for inputting a numerical value such as the number of copies and an enter key function for confirming the input numerical value. The start key 602 is pressed to start copying. The clear / stop key 603 is used to cancel the entered numerical value and suspend or stop copying. The program key 604 is a key for registering and recalling frequently used settings. The reset / preheat key 605 cancels the set contents, and when pressed for about 1 second or longer, the machine is put into the preheated state. With the trial copy key 607, it is possible to confirm the finish of a part of the completed copy in order to prevent miscopy. The setting key 608 is a key for changing the initial setting value and the operating condition according to the usage condition.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a basic screen displayed on the touch panel 600. On this basic screen, the number of originals read in the memory, the number of sets (number of copies), and the number of copies (number of copies) are displayed, and a display area 80a for displaying messages such as operation status, operation procedure, and error is displayed. Is displayed. Further, on the basic screen, on the lower left side of the display area 80a, the first touch panel area 80b (display area 80b) related to the operation on the document, and on the lower right side of the display area 80a, what kind of copy such as paper size and scaling is performed. The second touch panel area 80c (display area 80c) relating to the operation of taking is displayed. Further, below the display areas 80b and 80c, a display area 80d for displaying a function name during printing, a finish time, an error status of the entire printing apparatus, and the like is displayed. Further, on the upper side of the display area 80a, a tab 80e indicating one job is displayed on the left side, and a third document storage key and a setting content confirmation key, which are such functions of the entire tab represented by the tab 80e, are displayed on the right side. The touch panel area 80f (display area 80f) is displayed. The first to third touch panel regions 80b, 80c, and 80f are classified for convenience only, and the touch panel 600 can display the touch panel regions 80b, 80c, and 80f.

Of these, in particular, the display area 80b is an output color receiving area 82 that accepts selection of an output color, whether the original image is a character or a photograph, a mixture of these, or another original type (copied original). , A document type reception area 83 that accepts the selection of whether it is a light document, etc., a density reception area 84 that accepts the setting of the density of copy output, the setting of the document size and ADF (automatic document feeder), and the printing device. It is constructed by a special document receiving area 85 that accepts the setting of the document setting direction.

On the other hand, the display area 80c is a paper size receiving area 86 that accepts the selection of the size of the output paper, and the fixed scaling that accepts the selection of the same size or the standard scaling from the size of the predetermined scanned document to the size of the predetermined output paper. Reception area 87, double-sided reception area 88 that accepts selection of single-sided printing or double-sided printing for the scanned original and output paper, post-processing reception area 89 that accepts selection of post-processing of copies such as sort, stack, staple, and punch, and It is constructed by a detailed function reception area 90 that accepts settings of function items such as, scaling, and edit copy. Taking the second display item from the left in the paper size reception area 86 as an example, the square drawn by the black line represents a key, and the remaining amount of paper and the output direction of the paper are shown on this key. An icon and the letters "A4" are displayed. Taking the first display item from the left in the standard variable magnification reception area 87 as an example, the rectangle drawn by this black line also represents the key, and the characters "equal magnification" are displayed on the key. There is. Further, also for the first display item from the left in the double-sided reception area 88, a black rectangular line represents a key, and an icon representing a function of copying a single-sided document on both sides is displayed.

Further, the display area 80d is selected by the user when browsing the folder data (including the file data) stored in each external device shown in FIG. 1 or acquiring the file data from the external device. The "electronic document" button 99 is displayed.

As described above, the rectangle drawn by the black line displayed on FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 described later represents a key, and an icon or a character, or both an icon and a character are displayed on the key. .. Hereinafter, the parts described as keys, characters, and icons shall refer to the items described above unless otherwise specified. If it is simply displayed as a key, it shall also include the characters, icons, or both displayed on the key unless otherwise specified.

By the way, the touch panel 600 according to the present embodiment can switch and change the display of the display screen from the initial display (basic screen) as shown in FIG. 8 to the abbreviated display (simple screen) according to the user's preference. It is possible to display only the keys of functions often used by the user, operation procedures, and explanations such as error display in advance.

This simple screen is a simple screen that is as simple as possible, and by selecting (pressing a key) the input key displayed there, a pop-up screen appears or the screen display is changed. The following items related to the items are displayed, and the instruction input to the device is performed by selecting the input key in the items. This simple screen is suitable for users who want easy operation and easy-to-understand display.

In the present embodiment, the basic screen shown in FIG. 7 can be switched to the simple screen shown in FIG. 8, and the simple screen shown in FIG. 8 can be switched to the display of the basic screen shown in FIG. In the simple screen shown in FIG. 8, the display area 80a, the display area 80b, the display area 80c, and the display area 80d of the basic screen shown in FIG. 7 are the display area 100a, the display area 100b, the display area 100c, and the display area, respectively. It is a screen corresponding to 100d. Further, on the simple screen, the display area 80e on the basic screen and the display area corresponding to the display area 80f are omitted.

Of these, in the display area 100a, a display area 81 of the number of originals displayed in the display area 80a, the number of sets (number of copies), and the number of copies (number of copies) is arranged horizontally on the upper part of 100a and is relatively long. It is displayed as a display area 101 in large characters. Further, as shown in the display area 100a, the display of messages such as operation procedures and errors is larger than that in the display area 80a. The reason why the display area 100a is arranged horizontally in this way is to secure the display area even if the characters of the message displayed in the display area 100a are enlarged.

Further, the display area 100b includes an output color receiving area 102 that accepts the selection of the output color, a document setting direction receiving area 105 that accepts the setting of the setting direction of the document to be set in the image forming apparatus, and a screen that can reverse the screen color. It is constructed by the color inversion key 111.

Of these, the number of keys displayed in the output color reception area 102 is three, whereas the number of keys displayed in the output color reception area 82 of FIG. 7 corresponding to the same area is five. The display of the two keys (two-color key and single-color key) has been deleted. Since these two keys are rarely used by users who perform general operations, the display is deleted on the simple screen. On the other hand, since the remaining three keys are frequently used by any user, they are displayed on a simple screen, and by using the display area for the deleted two keys, the keys are compared to the basic screen. Is enlarged to make it easier to operate.

The function of the document setting direction reception area 105 is one of the functions displayed when the special document setting key of the special document reception area 85 displayed in the display area 80b shown in FIG. 7 is pressed. It consists of two keys, a vertical set and a horizontal set. Since these two keys are necessary functions even for users who do not need complicated function settings (functions necessary for any operation), they are independently displayed on the screen as a display area 105. It is displayed in. On the other hand, among the functions displayed when the special document setting key of the special document receiving area 85 is pressed, the functions (items other than the vertical setting and the horizontal setting of the original) that do not correspond to the document setting direction receiving area 105 are general. Since it is not always a necessary function when performing a typical operation, it is not displayed because it is not necessary for users who require simplicity and easy-to-understand display. As for the screen color inversion key 111, when this key is selected, the display color of the screen is inverted. That is, since the display is switched so that the blackish part is whitish and the whitish part is blackish, the screen display is easy to see and operate even for the user who finds it difficult to see with the non-inverted display.

The abbreviated display of the display area 80c of the touch panel 600 is shown as the display area 100c of FIG. The display area 100c is a paper size reception area 106 that accepts selection of the size of the output paper, and a standard variable magnification reception area that accepts selection such as standard scaling from the same size or a predetermined size of the scanned document to a predetermined output paper size. It is constructed by 107, a double-sided reception area 108 that accepts selection of single-sided printing or double-sided printing for the scanned original and output paper, and a post-processing reception area 109 that accepts selection of post-processing of copying such as sort, stack, staple, and punch. There is.

The paper size reception area 106 includes three items: an automatic paper selection key for automatically selecting the paper size, a paper selection key for expanding the screen for arbitrarily selecting the paper size, and an area for displaying the result of the selected paper size. ing. Operation settings are not always required for paper size selection, but it is a function that is relatively frequently used by any user. Therefore, first, on the simple screen of FIG. 8, only three items are displayed as described above in order to enlarge the keys and characters and facilitate the paper size selection. If you do not use paper size selection, you only need to press the automatic paper selection key. If you want to use paper size selection, press the paper selection key, and the result of size selection is displayed in the display area to the right of the paper selection key. Is displayed.

Further, the standard variable magnification reception area 107, the double-sided reception area 108, and the post-processing reception area 109 of the simple screen of FIG. 8 are the standard variable magnification reception area 87, the double-sided reception area 88, and the post-processing reception area of the basic screen of FIG. 7, respectively. Although it corresponds to 89, the number of keys displayed in the standard variable magnification reception area 107 is one less than that of the standard variable magnification reception area 87, and in the double-sided reception area 108, two keys are displayed compared to the double-sided reception area 88. The area 109 is five less than the post-processing reception area 89, and the number of keys displayed in each display area is deleted. The standard variable magnification reception area 87, the double-sided reception area 88, and the post-processing reception area 89 of the basic screen are display areas in which the user can assign favorite functions to each key in advance, and can be used in the same manner on a simple screen. It is possible for a person to assign a favorite function. Although the number of keys that can be assigned is small, users who use the simple screen also have a small number of frequently used functions (functions that require assignment), so there is no problem with operation due to insufficient numbers. .. Therefore, in the standard variable magnification reception area 107, the double-sided reception area 108, and the post-processing reception area 109 of the simple screen, only the keys of the functions required by the user can be displayed in a large and easy-to-use manner.

Further, the display area 80e, the display area 80f, and the detailed function reception area 90 are not displayed on the simple screen of FIG. 8 with respect to the basic screen of FIG. 7. Since the functions displayed in these areas are not necessarily necessary for basic function settings, they are not displayed, and other display areas are secured by using the surplus areas.

Further, the display of the display area 80d of FIG. 7 and the display area 100d of FIG. 8 are not changed between the basic screen and the simple screen. This part is a display related to the entire device, and is also a part that displays important errors. However, since no particular operation is required in the normal state, the display is not changed between the basic screen and the simple screen. Further, the "electronic document" key 99 is displayed in the display area 100d on the simple screen as well as the basic screen, and the folder data can be viewed and acquired not only from the basic screen but also from the simple screen.

Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15, a method of acquiring folder data from each external device using the multifunction device 21 according to the present embodiment will be described (browsing is omitted). FIG. 9 is a processing flow diagram showing a processing procedure for acquiring image data and folder data of the multifunction device 21. Further, in the following, the screens of FIGS. 7 and 8 will be described as the main screen.

Normally, as shown in FIG. 7 or 8, the multifunction device 21 displays the "electronic document" key 99 on the main screen displayed on the touch panel 600, and the folder data can be viewed or acquired. Is shown (step S1). When the user presses the "electronic document" key 99 in this state, the multifunction device 21 displays an ID and password request screen as shown in FIG. 10 on the touch panel 600 (step S2). As a result, the folder data that can be viewed or acquired by the user in each external device can be restricted, or the user can view or acquire the folder data in a plurality of folder data stored in the same external device. Folder data can be restricted.

Next, when the user inputs his / her own ID and password using the numeric keypad 601 or the like, the multifunction device 21 searches the table shown in FIG. 4 based on the ID and password, and restricts the user's viewing or acquisition. Is authenticated (step S3). If the multifunction device 21 determines that the authentication has failed (step S3: No), the process returns to step S1. Further, when the multifunction device 21 determines that the authentication is successful (step S3: Yes), the display processing unit 504 displays the screen shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel 600 after performing the login process.

Next, the multifunction device 21 displays a folder of image data that can be viewed / acquired as shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel 600, and then accepts the selection of the folder from the user (step S4).

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a folder selection reception screen displayed on the touch panel 600 by the display processing unit 504. As shown in FIG. 11, the display processing unit 504 displays a folder (including an external device connected to the network or a folder of the external device) in which the user can view / acquire the image data. Further, the display processing unit 504 displays the name of the external device, the directory name of the external device, and the like as the folder name as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the display processing unit 504 also displays an external device such as a digital camera 32 that is not always connected to the network or a folder of the external device. This can be realized because the management server 28a or the like manages the image data of the digital camera 32 or the like for each of the external devices. Then, when displaying the folder name, the display processing unit 504 displays not the folder name in the management server 28a but the name of the external device managed by the management server 28a. This makes it easy for the user to determine in which folder the image data is stored when viewing / acquiring the image data.

Here, the case where the user A performs the acquisition process will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure for acquiring image data stored in the folder.

When the user A selects two desired folder icons “printer / a” and “mobile phone” on FIG. 11, the folder data request unit 512 of the multifunction device 21 accumulates the folder data “a”. Request the printer device 23 to transmit the folder data "a" (step S11). Along with the process of step S11, the folder data request unit 512 requests the management server 28a that stores the folder data "mobile phone" to transmit the folder data "mobile phone" (step S12).

As a result, the printer device 23 transmits the folder data “a” to the multifunction device 21 (step S13). Then, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the transmitted folder data “a”.

Further, the management server 28a transmits the folder data “mobile phone” to the multifunction device 21 (step S14). Then, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the transmitted folder data "mobile phone". As a result, the process for acquiring the folder data between the multifunction device 21 and the external device is completed.

Returning to FIG. 9, the folder data acquisition unit 513 of the multifunction device 21 acquires the folder data “a” from the printer device 23 and the folder data “mobile phone” from the management server 28a (step S5).

Next, the thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data of all the file data in the acquired folder data “a” and “mobile phone” (step S6). Then, the display processing unit 504 accepts the selection of the thumbnail image from the user by displaying the thumbnail image as shown in FIG. 13 on the touch panel 600 (step S7).

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel 600. As shown in FIG. 13, the display processing unit 504 displays the file name and the creation date of the image data for each thumbnail image data. It is assumed that these data are acquired by the folder data acquisition unit 513 from an external device. Then, when the user selects the thumbnail image, the display processing unit 504 displays a check mark (for example, check mark 1301) indicating that the image has been checked. Then, the selection unit 505 selects the image data of the generation source of the thumbnail image selected by the user as the print target.

The number next to the check mark in the thumbnail image of FIG. 13 indicates the number of copies of the image data to be printed. In this way, the user can arbitrarily change the number of copies to be printed. Further, the information displayed for each thumbnail image is not limited to these, and the number of pages at the time of printing may be displayed.

As shown in FIG. 13, the display processing unit 504 displays a list of selected image data in the “Selected Document” column 1302. In the "Selected Document" column 1302, a thumbnail of the selected image data and a page information display column 1303 are displayed. In the page information display field 1303, the page number of the displayed thumbnail, the total number of pages, and the direction key for changing the displayed page are displayed. Then, when the direction key is pressed by the user, the display processing unit 504 displays the thumbnail image of the destination page in the "Selected Document" column 1302 and the page number in the page information display column 1303. To change. Further, when the user presses the "Remove" button 1304 while the display processing unit 504 is displaying an arbitrary thumbnail image, the selection unit 505 prints the image data of the generation source of the thumbnail image. Deselect from. In addition, the display processing unit 504 displays the display mode change button 1305. By pressing the user's display mode change button 1305, the display processing unit 504 changes whether to display the thumbnail image or the file name list. The screen example shown in FIG. 13 is an example when a thumbnail image is displayed, and then an example in which a file name list is displayed will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a file name list displayed on the touch panel 600. As shown in FIG. 14, the display processing unit 504 displays a check mark indicating whether or not the image data has been selected, the number of copies to be printed, the file name, and the creation date and time for each image data. Since the other displayed information is the same as the screen example shown in FIG. 13, the description thereof will be omitted.

Returning to FIG. 9, when the user selects a desired thumbnail from the screen shown in FIG. 13 or 14 and selects the “OK” button, the display processing unit 504 is as shown in FIG. 15 on the touch panel 600. Main screen is displayed (step S8). On this main screen, the "electronic document" key 99'in which the display mode (for example, the color of the key) has changed is displayed, and the user can be made to recognize that the electronic data has been acquired. Subsequently, when printing the acquired electronic data, the user selects the output paper, selects the print color, and the like in the same manner as the main screen shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and prints normally. Make the same settings as the settings. As a result, the printing unit 506 can print out the present image data, which is the image data related to the thumbnail image selected by the user.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the print target data can be increased by performing PULL type printing in which image data is acquired from the outside of the multifunction device 21 and printed.

In addition, by generating thumbnail image data of image data acquired from the outside and letting the user select a print target, even if there is a large amount of image data (this image data) that can be acquired from the outside, it can be organized. It can be printed out.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, even when different screens are displayed on the touch panel 600, various screens (FIGS. 7 and 8) can be displayed by always displaying the "electronic document" key 99. ) Can be changed to the image acquisition screen shown in FIG. 10, so that the operability of the user can be improved.

Further, the image data according to the present embodiment is not limited to general image data such as figures, graphs, and photographic data, but also includes document files and the like. Further, the image data may include a presentation file or the like. Further, the image data may be a combination of figures, graphs, photographs, documents and the like. The image data format is not limited to the image data format such as "JPEG", but also the document file format such as "DOC", the presentation file format such as "PPT", or the table calculation software format. Any file format may be used for printing.

Then, even if the file format of the image data is the document file format or the presentation file format, the compound machine 21 does not have to be held in the external device or not, and the thumbnail image data indicating the first page of the image data. Is displayed on the touch panel 600. Then, similarly to the above-described processing, when the compound machine 21 receives the selection of the thumbnail image data from the user, the compound machine 21 prints the image data in the document file format or the presentation file format indicated by the thumbnail image data. I do.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications as illustrated below are possible.

(Modified example of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, when the folder data request unit 512 requests the transmission of a plurality of folder data, the folder data acquisition unit 513 acquires the plurality of folder data, and the display processing unit 504 obtains these. A list of thumbnail images generated from the image data stored in multiple folder data was displayed. However, the first embodiment is not limited to the display method described above. Therefore, in the modified example of the first embodiment, different display examples of folders will be described. Since the configuration of the multifunction device 21 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

In this modification, the display processing unit 504 displays the display screen shown in FIG. Then, the touch panel 600 accepts only one folder selection. Then, when the user selects one folder from these folders, the selected one folder data is acquired by the above-described processing of the folder data request unit 512 and the folder data acquisition unit 513. Then, after the thumbnail generation unit 503 generates thumbnail image data from the image data in the folder, the display processing unit 504 displays a list of thumbnail images in the folder.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a list of thumbnail images displayed on the touch panel 600 by the display processing unit 504. As shown in FIG. 16, the display processing unit 504 displays the image data stored in the folder selected by the user and the list of folders existing in the folder. Then, when the user selects the displayed folder, the display processing unit 504 performs the above-described processing to display the folders and image data in the selected folder. That is, in this modification, the display processing unit 504 changes the display target folder so as to move in the tree in the tree-structured folder group including the plurality of external devices.

Then, when the user selects the image data from the screen shown in FIG. 16, the display processing unit 504 displays the “Selected Document” column shown in FIG. 13 or FIG. 14 of the first embodiment, and displays the “Selected Document” column. Display the thumbnail image of the selected image data. This selected image data is retained even when the process of changing the folder is performed. As a result, the user can select image data to be printed from a plurality of external devices.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the multifunction device 21 is used to generate thumbnail image data, but the present invention is not limited to this. Therefore, in the second embodiment, an example of generating thumbnails with an external device will be described.

In the present embodiment, an external device capable of generating thumbnail image data, such as the digital camera 32, generates thumbnail image data from the image data stored in the external device. Then, in the case of an external device that is not always connected to the network, when the external device is connected to the network, the external device causes the management server 28a to generate thumbnail image data together with the original image data. To send.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that there is a device capable of generating thumbnail image data even in an external device that is always connected to the network, such as a printer device 23 and a facsimile device 24.

Further, in the case of an external device such as a car navigation device 29 or a notebook PC 33 that does not generate thumbnail image data, the external device transmits the image data to the management server 28a. Then, the management server 28a generates thumbnail image data from the received image data, and manages the thumbnail image data together with the image data. In the case of an external device that does not have the function of generating such thumbnail image data, the description will be omitted by performing the same processing procedure as the processing procedure described in the first embodiment.

Further, in the ROM 212a of the management servers 28a and 28b, a browsing / acquisition management DB (Data Base) 1700 different from the first embodiment is constructed in order to manage thumbnail image data as well.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a browsing / acquisition management table of the browsing / acquisition management DB 1700. As shown in FIG. 17, the browsing / acquisition management table manages the creation date, the thumbnail storage location, the file storage location, and the number of pages of the file in association with each other. By holding such a table, the management server 28a can transmit the thumbnail image data and the image data of the generation source of the thumbnail image data in response to the request of the multifunction device or the like.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the multifunction device 1800 according to the second embodiment. It differs from the multifunction device 21 according to the first embodiment described above in that it has a configuration changed to the image acquisition unit 1801 whose processing is different from that of the image acquisition unit 502. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment described above are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The image acquisition unit 1801 includes an image data request unit 1811, a folder data request unit 1812, a folder data acquisition unit 1814, a thumbnail request unit 1813, and a thumbnail acquisition unit 1815, and includes thumbnail image data and thumbnail image data from an external device. Acquires the image data that is the generation source of.

The thumbnail requesting unit 1813 performs a process of requesting an external device to transmit thumbnail image data. If image data is managed in folder units in the storage unit of the external device and a thumbnail image transmission request is made to the external device in folder units, the folder request unit 512 shown below requests transmission. I do.

The thumbnail acquisition unit 1815 acquires the thumbnail image data contained in the folder from the external device that responds to the transmission request of the thumbnail request unit 1813.

The folder data request unit 1812 requests the external device to transmit the thumbnail image data included in each folder.

The folder data acquisition unit 1814 acquires the image data and the folder data contained in the folder from the external device that responds to the transmission request of the folder data request unit 1812.

The image data requesting unit 1811 requests the external device to transmit the image data that is the generation source of the thumbnail image data selected by the user. As a result, the image acquisition unit 1801 can acquire the image data that is the generation source of the thumbnail image data.

Subsequently, a processing procedure until the multifunction device 1800 according to the present embodiment acquires image data from each external device will be described. FIG. 19 is a processing flow diagram showing a processing procedure until the multifunction device 1800 acquires image data. In this processing procedure, the case where the apparatus for transmitting / receiving data to / from the multifunction device 1800 is the management server 28a will be described. Since the login process is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

First, the display processing unit 504 displays a folder of image data that can be viewed / acquired as shown in FIG. 11 on the touch panel 600, and then accepts a folder selection from the user (step S1901).

Next, when the user accepts the selection of the folder, the folder data request unit 512 outputs the transmission request of the selected folder data to the management server 28a having the folder (step S1902).

Then, the management server 28a receives and processes the transmission request of the folder data from the multifunction device 1800 (step S1911). The management server 28a generates thumbnail images of the image data in the folder as described above.

Next, the management server 28a transmits the folder data (thumbnail image data in the folder and the information of the folder contained in the folder) corresponding to the received transmission request to the multifunction device 1800 (step S1912). ..

Then, the folder data acquisition unit 1814 of the multifunction device 1800 acquires the folder data transmitted from the management server 28a (step S1903). The folder data includes information on the folder contained in the folder and thumbnail image data generated from the image data stored in the folder.

Next, the display processing unit 504 accepts the selection of the thumbnail image from the user by displaying the thumbnail image as shown in FIG. 13 on the touch panel 600 (step S1904).

Then, when the user selects a desired thumbnail from the screen shown in FIG. 13 or 14 and selects the “OK” button, the image data requesting unit 1811 displays the image of the generation source of the selected thumbnail image data. A data transmission request is made to the management server 28a (step S1905).

Next, the management server 28a receives and processes an image data transmission request from the multifunction device 1800 (step S1913).

Then, the management server 28a transmits the image data corresponding to the received transmission request to the multifunction device 1800 (step S1914).

Next, the image acquisition unit 1801 of the multifunction device 1800 acquires the image data of the generation source of the snooped thumbnail image from the management server 28a (step S1906).

Then, the display processing unit 504 displays the main screen as shown in FIG. 15 on the touch panel 600 (step S1907). This makes it possible to print the image data.

By performing the above-mentioned processing procedure, it is possible to access and print the image data stored in the storage unit of the external device. In the present embodiment, even in the case of an external device that is always connected to the network, such as the printer device 23 and the facsimile device 24, the same processing as that of the management server 28a shown in FIG. 19 is performed. The explanation is omitted.

In the present embodiment, after the thumbnail image data is transmitted / received between the multifunction device 1800 and the external device, the image data of the generation source of the thumbnail image data selected by the user is transmitted / received. By performing such processing, the amount of data to be sent and received is reduced, so that the load on the network is reduced and the list of thumbnail images can be quickly displayed on the multifunction device 1800 in response to the user's request. It will be possible.

In the second embodiment described above, when the external device transmits the thumbnail image data and then the user selects the thumbnail image in the compound machine 1800, the compound machine 1800 generates the thumbnail image. It was decided to acquire the original image data from an external device. However, the procedure for acquiring such image data is not limited. For example, before the compound machine displays the thumbnail image data, the thumbnail image data and the image data from which the thumbnail image data is generated are simultaneously generated. It may be obtained from an external device.

Further, the print processing program executed by the multifunction device of the above-described embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading via the network. Further, the print processing program executed by the multifunction device of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

Further, the print processing program of the above-described embodiment may be configured to be provided by incorporating it into a ROM or the like in advance.

The print processing program executed by the multifunction device of the present embodiment has a module configuration including each part described above, and as actual hardware, the CPU reads the print processing program from the recording medium and executes it. Each of the above-mentioned parts is loaded on the main storage device, and each of the above-mentioned parts is generated on the main storage device.

Further, the above program can be recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed.

As described above, the printing apparatus, printing method, and printing program according to the present invention are suitable for viewing and printing image data stored in an external device connected to a network.

10, 1700 Browsing / acquisition management DB
11 LAN
12 Internet 13 Mobile phone network 14 Base stations 21, 22, 1800 Multifunction devices 23 Printer equipment 24 Facsimile equipment 25 Scanner 26 PC
27 Digital TV 28a, 28b Management server 29 Car navigation device 30 Mobile phone 31 Game console 32 Digital camera 33 Notebook PC
80a to f Display area 99 "Electronic document" key 99'"Electronic document" key 310 Controller 311 CPU
312 MEM-P
312a ROM
312b RAM
313 NB
314 SB
315 bus 316 ASIC
317 MEM-C
318 HDD
320 Operation unit 330 FCU
340 USB
350 IEEE1394 interface 360 Engine section 501 Communication processing section 502, 1811 Image acquisition section 503 Thumbnail generation section 504 Display processing section 505 Selection section 506 Printing section 511, 1811 Image data request section 512, 1812 Folder data request section 513, 1814 Folder data acquisition Part 600 Touch panel 601 Tenkey 602 Start key 603 Clear / Stop key 604 Program key 605 Reset / Preheat key 606 Interrupt key 607 Trial copy key 608 Setting key 1813 Thumbnail request part 1815 Thumbnail acquisition part

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-018853

Claims (10)

A printing device that can be connected to a plurality of external devices that store files via a network and has an operation unit including a touch panel.
A first selection screen for accepting file selection from a first list, which is a list of files stored in each of a plurality of specific external devices among the plurality of external devices, and is included in the first list. A display control means for controlling the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel, which includes information indicating the plurality of external devices for accumulating files.
A print control means that controls printing of the file selected from the first list via the first selection screen, and
Have a,
The display control means includes a display on the touch panel of a second selection screen that accepts selection of a specific external device from the second list, which is a list of the plurality of external devices, and the display in the second list. Controlling the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel, which accepts the selection of a file from the first list of files stored in each of the plurality of specific external devices among the plurality of external devices.
Printing device. The first selection screen includes the names of the plurality of external devices that store the files included in the first list.
The printing apparatus according to claim 1. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display control means simultaneously displays files stored in each of the specific plurality of external devices on the first selection screen. The display control means controls the display on the touch panel of the print setting screen that receives the input related to the print setting.
The print control means controls printing of the file selected from the first list via the first selection screen based on the print settings input via the print setting screen. Or the printing apparatus according to 2. The printing device according to claim 4, wherein the display control means displays the print setting screen on the touch panel in response to a user operation on the first selection screen. The printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means displays the first selection screen on the touch panel in response to a user operation on the second selection screen. Further having a specific means for identifying the specific plurality of external devices among the plurality of external devices included in the second list based on a user operation on the second selection screen.
The display control means displays on the touch panel the first selection screen that accepts the selection of a file from the first list of files stored in each of the specific plurality of external devices specified by the specific means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 6. Further having an acquisition means for acquiring information for displaying the first list from each of the specific plurality of external devices.
The printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the display control means displays the first selection screen on the touch panel based on the information acquired by the acquisition means. It is a printing method that can be connected to a plurality of external devices that store files via a network and is executed in a printing device having an operation unit including a touch panel.
A first selection screen for accepting file selection from a first list, which is a list of files stored in each of a plurality of specific external devices among the plurality of external devices, and is included in the first list. A display control step for controlling the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel, which includes information indicating the plurality of external devices for accumulating files.
A print control step that controls printing of the file selected from the first list via the first selection screen.
Only including,
The display control step includes a display on the touch panel of a second selection screen that accepts selection of a specific external device from the second list, which is a list of the plurality of external devices, and the display included in the second list. Controlling the display of the first selection screen on the touch panel, which accepts the selection of a file from the first list of files stored in each of the plurality of specific external devices among the plurality of external devices.
Printing method. A printing program that causes a computer to execute the printing method according to claim 9.

Images