JP7655439B2 - DEVICE CONTROL PROGRAM AND DEVICE CONTROL METHOD - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device control program and a device control method.

Conventionally, multifunction devices equipped with printer and scanner functions are known. In order to use such a multifunction device from a computer, it is generally necessary to run a printer driver and a scanner driver dedicated to that multifunction device on the computer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-125773 A

Generally, device drivers require the user to select the devices to be controlled by the device driver in order to register the devices to be controlled by the device driver in the computer.
Conventionally, therefore, a user must register the same multifunction device for both the printer driver and the scanner driver, which is a burden for the user.

The present invention was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a device control program and a device control method that reduce the burden on users when registering devices for each function.

The present invention is a device control program executed by a computer of a terminal device having an operation unit, a storage unit, and a communication unit, comprising: a search means for searching for a device capable of communicating by the communication unit; a first device reception means for receiving, from the operation unit, one of the devices searched for by the search means as a device that executes one of a first function and a second function; a first storage means for storing the device received by the first device reception means in the storage unit in association with the one function and storing the same device in the storage unit in association with the other function; and a second storage means for selecting the execution of one of the functions from the first function and the second function. This device control program is characterized in that, when a function is received from the operation unit, the terminal device is made to function as a control means for causing a device capable of communicating via the communication unit to execute one of the functions, and when a device corresponding to one of the first and second functions is not stored in the storage unit, the control means causes a device found by a device search performed by the search means and accepted by the first device acceptance means as a device that executes the one of the functions to execute the one of the functions, and when a device is stored in the storage unit in association with the one of the functions, the device is made a candidate for a device that executes the one of the functions.

According to this invention, when a device having multiple functions is registered in a terminal device individually for each function, the user only needs to select the device once, thereby reducing the burden on the user compared to searching for devices for each function.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the burden on the user when registering a device for each function can be reduced.

The device control program of the first aspect described in this specification is a device control program capable of controlling multiple functions of a device, and causes the terminal device to execute a first selection process that allows a user to select one of the devices from among the devices that are communicatively connected to a terminal device executing the device control program, a registration process that registers the device selected by the first selection process in the terminal device individually as a device for executing each of the multiple functions as a device for executing that function, and a control process that, when executing any of the multiple functions, controls the device registered in the terminal device as a device for executing that function to execute that function.
According to the above configuration, when a device having multiple functions is registered in a terminal device individually for each function, the user only needs to select the device once, thereby reducing the burden on the user compared to when selecting a device for each function.
Therefore, this configuration can reduce the burden on the user when registering a device for each function.
The first aspect can also be expressed as follows.
A device control program capable of controlling multiple functions of a device, the device control program causing a terminal device to execute the following steps: a first selection process that causes a user to select one of the devices that are communicatively connected to a terminal device executing the device control program; a registration process that registers the device selected by the first selection process in the terminal device individually for each of the multiple functions as a device for executing that function; and a control process that, when executing one of the multiple functions, controls a device registered in the terminal device as a device for executing that function to execute that function.

The first selection process that allows the user to select one of the devices can also be rephrased as a designation process that allows the user to specify one of the devices. In other words, instead of displaying multiple devices as options and allowing the user to select from them, it is also possible to have the user directly specify a specific device without displaying options, for example by having the user directly input information that can uniquely identify the desired device, such as the device name or IP address of the device.

The second aspect described in this specification is a device control program of the first aspect, in which the device control program is capable of controlling a plurality of types of devices, and in the registration process, for each of the plurality of functions, the device selected by the first selection process is registered in the terminal device as a device for executing the function, with the prerequisite being that the device has the function.

When a device control program is capable of controlling a plurality of types of devices, not all of the plurality of types of devices necessarily have the above-mentioned functions, and some devices may not have all of the functions.
According to this configuration, for each of a plurality of functions, a device is registered in a terminal device on the condition that the device has the function, thereby reducing the possibility that a selected device is registered as a device for executing some of the functions even though the device does not have the functions.

The third aspect described in this specification is the device control program of the second aspect, in which the registration process includes a first determination process for determining, for each of the plurality of functions, whether or not the selected device has the function, and, if the first determination process determines that the selected device has the function, a second determination process for determining whether or not the function of the selected device can be controlled from the device control program, and, if the second determination process determines that the function is controllable, registers the function in the terminal device as a device for executing the function.

When a device control program is capable of controlling multiple types of devices, even if the device has multiple functions, it may not be possible to control a function from the device control program due to reasons such as different control commands depending on the model.
According to this configuration, if the function cannot be controlled from the device control program, the device is not registered as a device for executing the function, thereby reducing the occurrence of a registered device being unable to be controlled in the control process.

A fourth aspect described in this specification is a device control program according to any one of the first to third aspects, in which, in the first selection process, a user is prompted to select a device from among devices communicably connected to the terminal device and having a first function, and, in the registration process, the device selected by the first selection process is registered in the terminal device as a device for executing the first function, and functions other than the first function that the device has are registered as devices for executing those functions.

With this configuration, when a user selects a device to register a device having a first function, the user can register the device not only as a device for executing the first function, but also as a device for executing other functions.

A fifth aspect described in this specification is a device control program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which the terminal device is capable of registering multiple devices for one function, and when a new device is registered for any one of the multiple functions in the registration process, the terminal device is caused to execute a first setting process that exclusively sets the newly registered device as the device to be used to execute the function, and the control process controls, for each of the multiple functions, a device that is set as the device to be used to execute the function among the devices registered as devices for executing the function, to execute the function.

When multiple devices can be registered for one function, it is highly likely that the newly registered device is the device that the user intends to use.
According to this configuration, a newly registered device is set as the "device to be used to execute the function." Therefore, when multiple devices can be registered for one function, the burden on the user to set the "device to be used to execute the function" can be reduced, while the device that the user is likely to use can be set as the "device to be used to execute the function."

A sixth aspect described in this specification is a device control program according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, in which a plurality of devices can be registered in the terminal device for one function, and when a new device is registered in the registration process for any of the plurality of functions, the terminal device is caused to execute a third determination process for determining whether or not another device has already been set as a device to be used to execute a function different from the function, and a second setting process for exclusively setting the newly registered device as a device to be used to execute the different function if it is determined by the third determination process that the other device has not been set as a device to be used to execute the function different from the function, and the control process controls, for each of the plurality of functions, a device set as a device to be used to execute the function among the devices registered as devices for executing the function, to execute the function.

With this configuration, if a device has already been set to execute a certain function, the newly registered device will not be set as the device to execute that function, so even if a new device is registered, the user can continue to use the device that has already been set as the device to execute that function.

The seventh aspect described in this specification is a device control program according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, in which a plurality of devices can be registered in the terminal device for one function, and the terminal device is caused to execute a second selection process for having a user select one of the devices registered in the terminal device for one function, a third setting process for exclusively setting the device selected by the second selection process as the device to be used for executing the one function, a fourth determination process for determining whether the selected device is registered as a device for executing another function, and a fourth setting process for exclusively setting the selected device as the device to be used for executing the other function when it is determined by the fourth determination process that the selected device is registered as a device for executing the other function, and the control process controls, for each of the plurality of functions, a device set as the device to be used for executing the function among the devices registered as devices for executing the function to execute the function.

When a user selects a device from among devices registered for a function and sets it as the device to be used to execute that function, it is highly likely that the user will also use that device to execute other functions, because, for example, if a new, up-to-date device is installed and the newest device is set for the one function as the device to be used to execute that one function, it is expected that the user will also want to use the newest device for other functions.
According to this configuration, a device set as a device to be used for executing one function is also set as a device to be used for executing another function, thereby reducing the effort required to set the device as a device to be used for executing another function.

An eighth aspect described in this specification is a device control method for controlling a plurality of functions of a device, comprising: a first selection step of having a user select one of devices communicatively connected to a terminal device; a registration step of registering the device selected in the first selection step individually in the terminal device as a device for executing each of the plurality of functions; and a control step of, when executing any of the plurality of functions, controlling a device registered in the terminal device as a device for executing the function to execute the function.
This configuration can reduce the burden on the user when registering a device for each function.

A ninth aspect described in this specification is a device control program capable of controlling a printer function and a scanner function of a device, which causes a terminal device to execute the device control program, a search process for searching for a device having a printer function from among devices connected to be able to communicate with a terminal device executing the device control program, a first selection process for having a user select one of the devices searched for by the search process, a determination process for determining whether the device selected by the first selection process has a scanner function, a registration process for registering the device as a device for executing the printer function and also as a device for executing the scanner function if the determination process determines that the device has the scanner function, and a control process for controlling a device registered in the terminal device as a device for executing the function to execute the function when one of the printer function and the scanner function is to be executed.
According to this configuration, if it is determined that the selected device has a scanner function in addition to a print function, the device is registered as a device for executing the printer function and also as a device for executing the scanner function, thereby reducing the burden on the user when registering a device in the device control program.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a mobile phone and a device according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a mobile phone. 5 is a screen transition diagram of screens displayed by the device control program. 5 is a screen transition diagram of screens displayed by the device control program. 6 is a flowchart showing a printer registration process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a screen transition diagram according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a screen transition diagram according to the second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a printer registration process according to a second embodiment. 13 is a flowchart showing a printer registration process according to a third embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a process for changing a normally used printer.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) Overall Configuration Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a mobile phone 1 (an example of a terminal device) that executes a device control program according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and various devices 2 that are communicatively connected to the mobile phone 1. The mobile phone 1 has a wireless communication function in addition to a telephone function, and is wirelessly connected to a communication network 5 via a wireless LAN router 4 or the like.

The multifunction devices 2a and 2b are devices having multiple functions (specifically, a printer function and a scanner function). The multiple multifunction devices 2a and 2b may be made by different manufacturers, or may be different models made by the same manufacturer.
The printers 2c and 2d and the scanners 2e and 2f are single-function devices each having only a printer function and a scanner function, respectively. These devices may be manufactured by different manufacturers, or may be different models manufactured by the same manufacturer.
In the following description, when the device 2 is simply mentioned, it refers to any one of the multiple devices.

(2) Electrical Configuration of the Mobile Phone Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the mobile phone 1. The mobile phone 1 is configured to include a control unit 11, a transmission/reception unit 12, an audio input/output unit 13, a wireless communication unit 14, a display unit 15, an operation unit 16, an imaging unit 17, and a storage unit 18.

The control unit 11 is configured with an application processor, ROM, RAM, etc. The application processor controls each part of the mobile phone 1 by executing various programs stored in the ROM and the memory unit 18. The ROM stores various programs and data to be executed by the application processor. The RAM is used as a main memory device for the application processor to execute various processes.

The transceiver 12 includes an antenna, an RF (Radio Frequency) circuit, a baseband processor, etc., and transmits and receives voice signals via the antenna to and from the base station 3. The transceiver 12 is also configured to be capable of performing packet communication with the base station 3.
The audio input/output unit 13 includes a microphone, a speaker, an audio processing circuit, and the like.
The voice signal input by the microphone is transmitted to the base station 3 by the transmitting/receiving unit 12, and the voice signal received from the base station 3 by the transmitting/receiving unit 12 is audibly generated by the speaker.

The wireless communication unit 14 is configured in accordance with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/IEEE 802.11b) (registered trademark) and is wirelessly connected to a communication network 5 such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet via a wireless LAN router 4 or the like.
The wireless communication standard is not limited to Wi-Fi as long as it is a standard that allows wireless connection of the mobile phone 1 to the communication network 5. For example, the mobile phone 1 may be configured to be wirelessly connected by Bluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1) (registered trademark), or may be configured to be wirelessly connected by infrared optical wireless data communication (IrDA).
Further, in this embodiment, the mobile phone 1 is wirelessly connected to the communication network 5, but the mobile phone 1 may be connected to the communication network 5 via a wire.

The display unit 15 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, a drive circuit for driving the display device, and the like.
The operation unit 16 is configured to include a substantially transparent touch panel that covers the display surface of the display device, a control circuit that controls the touch panel, various operation buttons, etc. A user can input a telephone number, operate an application program, etc. by operating the operation unit 16.

The imaging unit 17 has an area image sensor, an optical system, an analog front-end unit, an image processing unit, and the like, and captures an image of a subject to generate a digital image.
The storage unit 18 stores various programs and data using a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 18 stores an operating system (OS), a device control program (described later), and various other application programs and data.

Application programs (hereinafter referred to as "applications") such as device control programs can be downloaded from an external server via the transmission/reception unit 12 and wireless communication unit 14. Note that a USB interface may be provided in the mobile phone 1, and applications may be downloaded from an external computer via the USB interface.

(3) Device Control Program The device control program is an application program capable of controlling multiple functions of device 2 (specifically, printer function and scanner function), and functions as a device driver that causes mobile phone 1 to execute the process of controlling the printer to print images and the process of controlling the scanner to import images.
Furthermore, the device control program is an application program with multiple functions, including a program that causes the mobile phone 1 to execute processes such as organizing and managing multiple images in an album, importing images from the imaging unit 17, and passing the images to an email application.

The device control program is capable of controlling a plurality of types of device 2, and the user can select a device 2 to perform printing or reading of a document from one or more devices 2 connected to the communication network 5.
For example, when a user selects a printer (including a multifunction printer), the device control program registers the selected printer in the memory unit 18, and when the user instructs printing, the device control program controls the registered printer to print an image.

Here, "registration" refers to obtaining information (device information) for controlling the selected printer from the printer, and writing the obtained device information to a predetermined area of the storage unit 18. Specifically, the device information includes the device name, location information (IP address, domain name, etc.) indicating the location on the communication network 5, and function information indicating the functions of the device.
The function information includes information indicating whether or not a printer function, scanner function, facsimile function, etc. is available, as well as more detailed information about each function, such as the paper size supported by the printer function, whether color printing is possible, and whether double-sided printing is possible.

The same applies to reading an image; the device control program registers the scanner selected by the user in the storage unit 18, and controls the registered scanner to capture an image.
In this way, the device control program can control both the printer function and the scanner function of the device 2, but some devices 2 have only one of the printer function and the scanner function. Therefore, it is desirable to register the device 2 for each function.

(3-1) User Interface of Device Control Program In the first embodiment, an example will be described in which only one device for executing the printer function and one device for executing the scanner function can be registered in the mobile phone 1.
Also, in embodiment 1, the device control program sets device 2 registered as a device for executing a printer function as the device to be used for executing the printer function, and similarly, sets device 2 registered as a device for executing a scanner function as the device to be used for executing the scanner function.

3 and 4 are screen transition diagrams of screens displayed by the device control program according to the first embodiment.
3 is a main menu. The main menu displays three menus: "Print from Photo Albums" for printing images stored in an album, "Print from Camera" for capturing an image of a subject with the imaging unit 17 and printing the image, and "Scan to cell phone" for capturing an image from a scanner. The user can select one of the menus by touching the screen 31.

Screen 32 is the screen that is displayed when "Print from Photo Albums" is selected from the main menu. As described above, the device control program can organize and manage images into albums, and screen 32 displays a list of those albums. When the user selects one of the albums, the screen transitions to screen 33, which displays a list of thumbnail images 33a (only one is labeled in FIG. 3) of the images contained in that album.

When the user touches any one of the thumbnail images 33a on the screen 33 to select an image, the screen transitions to screen 34, where the selected image is displayed. When "Print from Camera" is selected on the main menu described above, the screen transitions to screen 34 after an image of a subject is captured, where the captured image is displayed.
The user can print the image displayed on screen 34. When printing an image, the user first touches a "Setting" button 34a to display screen 35, and then registers a printer and sets printing conditions on screen 35.

The device name (DC123450) displayed to the left of the "Setting" button 34a on screen 34 is the device name of the currently registered printer. If a printer is already registered when screen 34 is displayed, the device control program displays the device name of that printer to the left of the "Setting" button 34a. If no printer is registered, the device name is not displayed. The printer here includes both single-function printers with only printer functions, as well as multifunction devices with printer functions.

The device name of the registered printer and default printing conditions are initially displayed on the screen 35. However, if a printer has not yet been registered, the device name is not displayed.
If a printer has not yet been registered, or if the user wishes to change a registered printer, the user touches a field 35a that displays the printer device name to cause a screen 36 to be displayed.

When the user touches the field 35a, the device control program searches for printers connected to the communication network 5 and displays a list of the device names of the found printers on the screen 36. This search can be performed, for example, by using a protocol for searching for devices connected to the communication network 5.
When the user selects any printer on screen 36, the device control program executes a "printer registration process" to be described later, thereby registering the selected printer in the mobile phone 1. As will be described in detail later, if the selected printer is a multifunction device, the device control program registers the multifunction device not only as a printer in the "printer registration process", but also as a scanner.

When the "printer registration process" is completed, the screen returns to screen 35, and the device name of the registered printer is displayed in field 35a.
Furthermore, on screen 35, printing conditions such as "Document Size (Photo, Photo 2L, A4, Letter, etc.)", "Media Type (Plain Paper, OHP, etc.)", and "Color Type (Color, GrayScale, etc.)" can be set. For example, when "Document Size" is selected, a screen (not shown) for selecting the print paper size is displayed, and the user can select one of the sizes from "Photo", "Photo 2L", "A4", "Letter", etc. on that screen.

After registering the printer and setting the printing conditions on screen 35, the user touches a "Done" button 35b to return to screen 34.
When the user touches the "Print" button 34b on the screen 34, the device control program controls the registered printer (in other words, the printer set as the device to be used to execute the printer function) to print the image (Photo2) displayed on the screen 34 (an example of a control process). This control is performed based on the device information written in the storage unit 18 and the printing conditions set on the screen 35.

Here, controlling the printer means generating a print command based on the image and printing conditions, and outputting the generated print command to the printer. Note that the image and printing conditions may be sent to the printer, and the print data may be generated on the printer side.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing screen transitions when "Scan to cell Phone" is selected on the main menu of screen 31. In FIG.
When the user selects "Scan to cell phone" from the main menu, the screen transitions to screen 40. Screen 40 initially displays the device name of the registered scanner and the default reading conditions. If a scanner has not yet been registered, the device name is not displayed.

However, as mentioned above, if the printer selected on screen 36 is a multifunction device, the multifunction device will also be registered as a scanner by the "printer registration process." In that case, even if the user does not perform the operation to register the scanner, the device name of the multifunction device will be displayed in field 40a that displays the device name of the scanner.

If a scanner has not yet been registered or if the user wishes to change a registered scanner, the user can select a scanner in the same manner as for a printer. The configuration of the screen for selecting a scanner is substantially the same as the configuration of the screen (screen 36) for selecting a printer, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.
However, as shown on screen 35 (FIG. 3), if there is a device 2 that is already registered as a printer, the multifunction device will not be registered as a printer even if it is selected as a scanner in the scanner selection. This is because, in this embodiment, the previously registered printer is given priority, and the printer is not changed unintentionally by the user when selecting a scanner. Note that, if the previously registered printer is not given priority, the selected multifunction device may be registered not only as a scanner, but also as a printer.

Screen 40 also allows you to set reading conditions such as "Document Size (Photo, Photo 2L, A4, Letter, etc.)", "Color Type (ColorHighSpeed, GrayScaleHighSpeed, ColorLowSpeed, GrayScaleLowSpeed, etc.)", and "Duplex (Long-Edge, Short-Edge, etc.)".

After the user registers the scanner, sets the reading conditions, and places the document on the scanner, the user touches the "Scan" button 40b. When the user touches the "Scan" button 40b, the device control program controls the registered scanner (in other words, the scanner set as the device to be used to execute the scanner function) to read the document (an example of a control process). This control is performed based on the device information written in the storage unit 18 and the reading conditions set on the screen 40.
Here, controlling the scanner means outputting commands to the scanner for setting the reading speed and reading resolution of the document based on the reading conditions, and causing the scanner to read the document.

When reading is complete, the screen transitions to screen 41, where an image (Image1) representing the scanned document is displayed. When the user touches the "Action" button 41a on screen 41, the screen transitions to screen 42.

Menus "Save To Photo Albums,""Email As JPEG," and "Email As PDF" are displayed on screen 42. When the user selects "Email As JPEG" or "Email As PDF," the screen transitions to email creation screen 43, on which an image converted to JPEG or PDF format is attached. This email creation screen 43 is a screen displayed by an application other than the device control program.
On the other hand, if the user selects "Save To Photo Albums", a screen (not shown) for selecting the album in which to save is displayed, the image is saved in that album, and the screen returns to screen 41.

(3-2) Printer Registration Processing Next, the above-mentioned "printer registration processing" will be described. Here, the "printer registration processing" will be described as including processing for searching for printers connected to the communication network 5.

5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the printer registration process, which starts when the user touches the field 35a on the screen 35 described above.
In S101, the control unit 11 that executes the device control program (hereinafter simply referred to as the "device control program") searches for a printer (an example of a first function) connected to the communication network 5 (an example of a first selection process).

In this case, data requesting device information of the devices 2 connected to the communication network 5 is broadcast, and the device information obtained as a response is received. The received device information is stored in the RAM.
A list of device names of devices with controllable printer functions is hard-coded in the program code of the device control program, and if the device name included in the acquired device information is not on the list, the device control program determines that the printer is uncontrollable and deletes the device information from the RAM. Thus, the RAM stores device information of printers that the device control program can control. Note that the list may be updated via the communication network 5 when new controllable devices are added.

In S102, the device control program determines whether one or more printers have been searched for (whether one or more pieces of device information are stored in the RAM), and if not, the program proceeds to S103; if found, the program proceeds to S104 (an example of a first selection process).
In S103, the device control program displays a message on the display unit 15 indicating that no printer was found, and ends the process (an example of a first selection process).

In S104, the device control program displays a list of the device names of the found printers on the screen 36 based on the device information stored in the RAM in S101 (an example of a first selection process).
In S105, the device control program waits until the user selects one of the printers (an example of a first selection process). Note that if there is only one printer, this selection can also be called "designation."

In S106, the device control program acquires device information of the printer selected by the user from the device information stored in the RAM in S101 (an example of a registration process).
In S107, the device control program determines whether the selected printer has a scanner function (i.e., whether the printer is a multifunction device) based on the device information, and if it does, proceeds to S108, and if it does not, skips steps S108 to S109 and proceeds to S110 (an example of a registration process, a determination process, and a first determination process).

In S108, the device control program determines whether or not the scanner function of the selected printer (that is, the multifunction device) is controllable (a registration process, an example of a second determination process).
Specifically, for example, a list of device names of devices with controllable scanner functions is hard-coded into the program code of the device control program, and if the device name included in the device information acquired in S106 is on the list, the device control program determines that the scanner is controllable, and if the device name is not on the list, it determines that the scanner is uncontrollable.

The reason for determining whether or not the device is controllable is that even if the device has a scanner function, the scanner function may not be controllable from the device control program due to reasons such as different control commands depending on the device model.
If the device is controllable, the device control program proceeds to S109, and if the device is not controllable, the device control program proceeds to S110 (an example of a registration process).

In S109, the device control program registers the selected printer (i.e., the multifunction device) as a device for executing the scanner function (an example of a registration process). The device control program then sets the registered printer as the device to be used for executing the scanner function.

In S110, the device control program registers the selected printer (a single-function printer or a multifunction device) as a device for executing the printer function (an example of a registration process). The device control program then sets the registered printer as the device to be used for executing the printer function.

(4) Effects of the embodiment According to the device control program of the first embodiment of the present invention described above, when a user selects a printer, not only is the printer registered as a printer, but if the printer has a scanner function, the printer (i.e., a multifunction device) is also registered as a scanner.
Thus, according to this device control program, when a device having a printer function and a scanner function is registered in the mobile phone 1 individually for each function, the user only needs to select the device once, thereby reducing the burden on the user compared to when selecting a device for each function.

For example, if device 2 is a multifunction device, the user may wish to use the multifunction device as both a printer and a scanner. Specifically, this may be the case when an image is printed on a printer, the user writes by hand on the printed paper, and the paper is then read by a scanner. In such a case, this device control program allows the user to register the multifunction device for each of its multiple functions simply by selecting the multifunction device once, so that the multiple functions of the multifunction device can be used immediately.

Furthermore, this device control program registers a printer as a scanner on the condition that the printer has a scanner function. When the device control program can control multiple models of printers, not all of the multiple models of printers have a scanner function, and some printers may not have a scanner function (e.g., printers 2c and 2d).
According to this device control program, a printer is registered as a scanner on the condition that the printer has a scanner function, so that it is possible to reduce the occurrence of a selected printer being registered as a scanner even though the printer does not have a scanner function.

Furthermore, according to this device control program, if the selected printer has a scanner function, and the scanner function of the selected printer cannot be controlled from the device control program, the printer is not registered as a device for executing the scanner function, thereby reducing the number of times that a registered device cannot be controlled during the control process.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the first embodiment, only one printer and one scanner can be registered, but in the second embodiment, multiple printers and scanners can be registered. In the second embodiment, the device control program exclusively sets one of the registered printers as the "default printer (device used to execute the printer function)" and controls the printer set as the "default printer" to print images. The same applies to the scanner.

Figure 6 is a screen transition diagram when "Print from Photo Albums" is selected in the second embodiment. The device name displayed in field 55a on screen 55 (corresponding to screen 35 in the first embodiment) is not simply the device name of a registered printer, but the device name of the registered printer that is set as the "default printer." As mentioned above, the device control program controls the printer that is set as the "default printer" to print images.

Screen 55 has a pull-down menu 55b for selecting the "default printer." When the user touches pull-down menu 55b, a list of registered printer device names is displayed. The user can select a printer from the list of printers and set that printer exclusively as the "default printer." Since the printer is set exclusively, if another printer had been set as the "default printer" up until that point, the other printer's setting as the "default printer" is cancelled.

Figure 7 is a screen transition diagram when "Scan to cell phone" is selected in embodiment 2. The device name displayed in field 50a on screen 50 (a screen equivalent to screen 40 in embodiment 1) is not simply the device name of a registered scanner, but the device name of the registered scanner that is set as the "normally used scanner." As described above, the device control program controls the scanner that is set as the "normally used scanner" to read the document.

Screen 50 has a pull-down menu 50b for selecting the "scanner to be used normally." When the user touches pull-down menu 50b, a list of registered scanner device names is displayed. By selecting one of the scanners displayed in the list, the user sets that scanner exclusively as the "scanner to be used normally." Because the scanner is set exclusively, if another scanner had previously been set as the "scanner to be used normally," the setting of that other scanner as the "scanner to be used normally" is cancelled.

In the "printer registration process" according to the second embodiment, when the multifunction device "DC123450" is set as the "normally used scanner" and the multifunction device "ABC-0000" (not shown) is selected as the printer on screen 36 in FIG. 6, the multifunction device "ABC-0000" is also registered as a scanner, but is not set as the "normally used scanner." In such a case, as shown on screen 50, the multifunction device "DC123450" is displayed in field 50a, and the multifunction device "ABC-0000" is displayed in pull-down menu 50b.

Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the "printer registration process" according to the second embodiment. Here, the processes that are essentially the same as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description is omitted.

In S201, the device control program determines whether or not a scanner (or a multifunction machine) other than the multifunction machine selected in S105 is set as the "normally used scanner," and if no other scanner is set, the program proceeds to S202, and if another scanner is set, the program proceeds to S203 (an example of a third determination process).
In S202, the device control program registers the selected printer (i.e., the multifunction device) as a device for performing the scanner function, and sets the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) exclusively as the "normally used scanner" (an example of a second setting process).

In S203, the device control program determines whether the number n of registered scanners is less than the maximum number N that can be registered. If it is less than the maximum number N that can be registered, the program proceeds to S204. If it has reached the maximum number N that can be registered, the program proceeds to S205 without registering the printer as a scanner.

In S204, the device control program registers the selected printer (i.e., the multifunction device) as a device for performing the scanner function. However, in this case, it is not set as the "default scanner." Therefore, the other scanner that had been set as the "default scanner" up until that point remains the "default scanner."

In S205, the device control program registers the selected printer (a single-function printer or a multifunction device) as a device for performing printer functions (an example of a registration process) and sets the device as the "default printer."

According to the device control program of the second embodiment of the present invention described above, if a device that is normally used to execute the scanner function has already been set, even if a new device is registered as a device to be used to execute the scanner function, that device is not set as the device that is normally used to execute the scanner function. Therefore, even if a new device is registered, the user can continue to use the device that is already set as the device that is normally used to execute the scanner function.

Furthermore, if a user wishes to have a newly registered device execute a scanner function, the user can select the device on screen 50 as the device that is normally used to execute the scanner function, thereby enabling the device to execute the scanner function.
Although the present embodiment is configured to allow multiple printers to be registered, it may be configured to allow only one printer to be registered, in which case the process of S110 is executed instead of the process of S205.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The third embodiment is a modified example of the second embodiment, in which when a selected printer has a scanner function and the printer (i.e., a multifunction device) is also registered as a scanner, even if another scanner has already been set as the "normally used scanner", the newly registered scanner is set exclusively as the "normally used scanner".

9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the "printer registration process" according to the third embodiment. The "printer registration process" according to the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the process proceeds to S202 (an example of a first setting process) if a positive determination is made in S203. Since the process proceeds to S202, the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) selected in S105 is set as the "default scanner" even if another scanner has already been set as the "default scanner" in the third embodiment.
In other respects, the "printer registration process" according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as the "printer registration process" according to the second embodiment.

According to the device control program of the third embodiment of the present invention described above, the newly registered device is set as the "device normally used to execute the scanner function." If multiple devices can be registered for the scanner function, the newly registered device is likely to be the device that the user intends to use.

According to this device control program, a newly registered device is set as the "device normally used to execute the scanner function", so when multiple devices can be registered for the scanner function, the burden on the user to set the "device normally used to execute the scanner function" is reduced, while the device that the user is likely to use can be set as the "device normally used to execute the scanner function".

<Change the device you normally use>
Next, the process of changing the "usually used device" will be described with reference to FIG.
As described above, in the second and third embodiments, the user can change the "usually used printer" from among the registered printers. In addition, the user can also change the "usually used scanner" from among the registered scanners.

When the user changes the "default printer," if the printer has a scanner function, the device control program also sets the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) as the "default scanner."
Specifically, when a user changes the "usually used printer," the device control program determines whether the changed printer is also registered as a scanner (whether or not the device information of a device registered as a device for performing a scanner function contains a device name that matches the device name of the printer) (an example of a fourth determination process), and if registered, sets the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) as the "usually used scanner" as well (an example of a fourth setting process).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the "change process of the normally used device."
This process begins when the user touches the pull-down menu 55b on the screen 55.

In S301, the device control program displays a list of the device names of registered printers in a pull-down menu, and waits until the user selects one of the printers from the pull-down menu 55b.
In S302, the device control program acquires the device information of the selected printer from the storage unit 18. As described above, the device information of all registered printers and scanners is stored in the storage unit 18.

In S303, the device control program determines whether the acquired device information is registered in the storage unit 18 as device information for a device for executing a scanner function. In other words, the device control program determines whether the printer selected in S301 is also registered as a scanner. If it is registered as a scanner, the device control program proceeds to S304, and if it is not registered as a scanner, the device control program proceeds to S306.

In S304, the device control program determines whether another scanner has already been set as the "default scanner." If another scanner has been set as the "default scanner," the device control program proceeds to S306; if not, the device control program proceeds to S305.

In S305, the device control program exclusively sets the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) selected in S301 as the "normally used scanner."
In S306, the device control program exclusively sets the printer (that is, the printer or the multifunction device) selected in S301 as the "default printer".

This completes the change process. Note that in this process, if another scanner has already been set as the "normally used scanner", the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) selected in S301 is not set as the "normally used scanner", but the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) selected in S301 may be set as the "normally used scanner". In that case, the determination in S304 can be deleted.

According to the above-described process for changing the "normally used device," the printer selected on screen 55 is set not only as the device normally used for executing the printer function, but also as the device normally used for executing the scanner function.
When a user selects a device from among one or more devices registered for a function and sets the selected device as the device normally used to execute the function, the user is likely to use the selected device to execute other functions as well, because, for example, if a new, up-to-date device is installed and the newest device is set for the one function as the device used to execute the one function, the user is likely to want to use the newest device for other functions as well.

For example, suppose that a user moves to a different location and sets the multifunction device at the new location as the "default printer." In this case, if the user wants to capture images at the new location, in many cases the user will also set the multifunction device as the "default scanner." In other words, with a portable terminal device such as mobile phone 1, when the "default printer" is changed, there is a high possibility that the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) will also be set as the "default scanner."

According to this device control program, if a user changes the "default printer (device used to execute printer functions)" and the new printer has a scanner function, there is a high possibility that the new printer (i.e., multifunction device) will also be set as the "default scanner (device used to execute scanner functions)", reducing the effort required for the user to set the printer as the "default scanner".

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included within the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) In the above embodiment, a printer function and a scanner function are described as examples of multiple functions, but the multiple functions are not limited to these. For example, one of the multiple functions may be a facsimile function.

(2) In the above embodiment, a mobile phone is used as an example of a terminal device, but the terminal device is not limited to a mobile phone and may be a personal computer, a mobile information terminal, or the like.

(3) In the above embodiment, the device control program is capable of controlling a plurality of models of devices. However, the device control program may be capable of controlling only one specific model of multifunction peripheral.
Then, when one of one or more multifunction devices of the relevant model is selected, the device control program may register the multifunction device as a device for performing a printer function and a device for performing a scanner function.
In this case, since the model is specified, the device control program should already know whether the multifunction device has a printer function or a scanner function, so in this case, the multifunction device may be registered without determining whether it has a printer function or a scanner function or whether the device control program can control those functions.

(4) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which an image is selected and then a printer is selected, but for example, menus such as "Select printer" and "Set default printer" may be provided in the main menu.

(5) In the above embodiment, when a printer is selected from the searched printers, if the printer has a scanner function, the printer (i.e., the multifunction device) is registered as a scanner. However, when a scanner is selected from the searched scanners, if the scanner has a printer function, the scanner (i.e., the multifunction device) may be registered as a printer.

Reference Signs List 1: Mobile phone 2: Device 2a, 2b: Multifunction device 2c, 2d: Printer 2e, 2f: Scanner 3: Base station 4: Wireless LAN router 5: Communication network 11: Control unit 12: Transmitting/receiving unit 13: Audio input/output unit 14: Wireless communication unit 15: Display unit 16: Operation unit 17: Imaging unit 18: Storage unit

Claims (5)

A device control program executed by a control unit of a terminal device having a display unit,
The control unit,
a menu screen display process for displaying a menu screen for selecting a print function or a scan function on the display unit;
a device selection screen display process for displaying a device selection screen for selecting a device on the display unit;
a first display process for displaying, on the display unit, information indicating the first device as a device that executes the print function when the print function is selected on the menu screen in a case where a first device selected on the device selection screen has both a print function and a scan function, and for displaying, on the display unit, information indicating the first device as a device that executes the scan function when the scan function is selected on the menu screen;
The second device selected on the device selection screen has a printing function and a scanning function,
and executing a second display process in which, in a case where the device has only a print function, when the print function is selected on the menu screen, information indicating the second device is displayed on the display unit as a device that executes the print function, but when the scan function is selected on the menu screen, a screen in which the second device is not set as a device that executes the scan function is displayed on the display unit.
A device control program comprising:
2. The device control program according to claim 1,
The control unit,
a first print screen display process for displaying a print screen including a first image to be printed and a print execution button on a display unit when the first device is selected on the device selection screen and the print function is selected on the menu screen, the first print screen display process displaying information indicating the first device as a device that executes the print function on the print screen;
a print execution process for causing the first device to print an image corresponding to the first image when an operation on the print execution button is accepted;
a first scan screen display process for displaying a scan screen including a scan setting and a scan execution button on a display unit when the first device is selected on the device selection screen and the scan function is selected on the menu screen, the first scan screen display process including:
the first scan screen display process in which information indicating the first device as a device that executes the scan function is displayed;
a scan execution process for causing the first device to execute a scan based on the scan settings when an operation on the scan execution button is accepted;
A device control program comprising:
3. The device control program according to claim 2,
The control unit,
a second print screen display process for displaying a print screen including a second image to be printed and a print execution button on a display unit when the second device is selected on the device selection screen and the print function is selected on the menu screen, the second print screen display process displaying information indicating the second device as a device that executes the print function on the print screen;
a second print execution process for causing the second device to print an image corresponding to the second image when the print execution button is operated;
In the second display process, when a screen in which a second device is not set is displayed on the display unit, a process for causing the second device to execute a scan is not executed.
A device control program comprising:
4. The device control program according to claim 3,
On a screen on which a second device is not set, information indicating the second device as a device for executing the scan function is not displayed.
A device control program comprising:
A terminal device including a display unit and a control unit,
The control unit is
a menu screen display process for displaying a menu screen for selecting a print function or a scan function on the display unit;
a device selection screen display process for displaying a device selection screen for selecting a device on the display unit;
a first display process for displaying, on the display unit, information indicating the first device as a device that executes the print function when the print function is selected on the menu screen in a case where a first device selected on the device selection screen has both a print function and a scan function, and for displaying, on the display unit, information indicating the first device as a device that executes the scan function when the scan function is selected on the menu screen;
The second device selected on the device selection screen has a printing function and a scanning function,
and a second display process for, when the terminal device has only a printing function, displaying information indicating the second device as a device that will execute the printing function on the display unit when the printing function is selected on the menu screen, but displaying a screen on the display unit in which the second device is not set as a device that will execute the scanning function on the display unit when the scanning function is selected on the menu screen.

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