Non-transitory computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. An operation terminal is used to perform the following operations: obtaining a cumulative operation amount of a plurality of items of each of a plurality of printing devices, the cumulative operation amount being sent from the plurality of printing devices within a communication range of a communication unit; receiving a designation of at least one of the plurality of items via the operation unit; determining a usage frequency ranking of the plurality of printing devices according to the received designation; and, based on the result of the determined usage frequency ranking, performing one of a connection process of connecting to the printing device via wireless communication and a preparation process of preparing for connecting to the printing device via wireless communication in a manner that a printing device with a low usage frequency ranking is given priority over a printing device with a high usage frequency ranking.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-177974, filed on September 27, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program executed by a computer connected to an operation terminal of a printing apparatus. Background Art

[0004] A printing device capable of performing communication with an operation terminal via wireless communication is known (for example, refer to JP-A-2014-191418). In a printing device (printing label production device) of the prior art, for example, when print data is received from an external device (operation terminal), printing corresponding to the print data is performed on a conveyed print medium (tape for labels).

[0005] Meanwhile, for example, in an office or the like, there may be a plurality of printing devices that can be connected to one operation terminal. In an environment where the operation terminal can be freely connected to any of the plurality of printing devices, there may be a situation where the usage frequency of each printing device is deviated, such as a situation where, although one of the plurality of printing devices is frequently connected and printing is performed therein, another printing device is rarely connected and printing is rarely performed. In this case, some of the printing devices that are frequently used may deteriorate rapidly, which may result in malfunction, damage, etc. Summary of the invention

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program executed by a computer of an operation terminal, which, when executed by the computer, enables a plurality of printing devices to be used as evenly as possible and can eliminate uneven usage frequencies among the plurality of printing devices.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program that can be read by a computer of an operation terminal, the operation terminal including: a communication unit connected to a printing device via wireless communication, a display configured to display information, an operation unit, and a computer, the printing device being configured to perform printing on a printing medium when conveying the printing medium so that information can be sent to and received from the printing device, the computer program causing the operation terminal to perform the following operations when executed by the computer: obtaining a cumulative operation amount of multiple items of each of a plurality of printing devices, the cumulative operation amount being an amount accumulated within a predetermined time period, and the cumulative operation amount being sent from a plurality of printing devices within a communication range of the communication unit; receiving a designation of at least one of the plurality of items via the operation unit; determining a usage frequency ranking of the plurality of printing devices based on the received designation; and based on a result of the determined usage frequency ranking, performing one of a connection process of connecting to the printing device via wireless communication and a preparation process of preparing for connecting to the printing device via wireless communication in a manner that gives priority to a printing device with a low usage frequency ranking over a printing device with a high usage frequency ranking.

[0008] In the present disclosure, the operation terminal can be connected to any one of a plurality of printing devices within the communication range via the communication unit. For example, when printing is performed, the operation terminal is connected to an appropriate printing device via wireless communication, and then the operation unit is operated to send a printing instruction to the connected printing device, so that the printing device can perform the desired printing.

[0009] At this time, in the present disclosure, each of the plurality of printing devices regularly collects the cumulative operation amount of its own plurality of items within a predetermined time period and broadcasts it. The cumulative operation amount includes, for example, the number of print media printed in each of the plurality of printing devices, the print coverage, the print length, etc. Moreover, in the case where the printing device includes a cutter, the number of times the cutter cuts the print medium may also be included in the cumulative operation amount. Moreover, when the printing device is driven by a battery, the degree of deterioration of the battery may also be included in the cumulative operation amount.

[0010] Correspondingly, when the computer program is executed by the computer, the operation terminal acquires the cumulative operation amount, receives the designation, and determines the frequency of use ranking. That is, the cumulative operation amount of the above-mentioned multiple items broadcast from each of the multiple printing devices is received and acquired via the communication unit. Then, when the user designates at least one of the multiple items via the operation unit, the designation is received, and the frequency of use ranking of the multiple printing devices is determined based on the received designation. Thus, for example, a printing device having a relatively large value for the cumulative operation amount of the multiple items is considered to be frequently used and has a high frequency of use ranking, and a printing device having a relatively small value for the cumulative operation amount of the multiple items is considered to be infrequently used and has a low frequency of use ranking.

[0011] According to the ranking result described above, the connection process or the preparation process is executed in such a manner that a printing apparatus with a low ranking takes precedence over a printing apparatus with a high ranking.

[0012] In the connection process, a printing device with a low ranking is connected via the communication unit in priority to a printing device with a high ranking. In the preparation process, for example, a printing device with a low ranking is displayed on a display in priority to a printing device with a high ranking. Therefore, the printing device with a low ranking can be connected to the operation terminal more easily by a user operation on the operation unit.

[0013] As a result, when a user intends to perform printing with a printing device by using an operation terminal, one printing device with a low frequency of use is selected from a plurality of printing devices within a communication range, and the operation terminal is connected to the selected printing device. Thus, a plurality of printing devices are used substantially uniformly, so that the deviation of the frequency of use among the plurality of printing devices can be eliminated. As a result, as described above, rapid deterioration, failure, damage, etc. of certain printing devices can be suppressed, so that the convenience of the user can be improved.

[0014] According to the present disclosure, a plurality of printing apparatuses can be used as evenly as possible, so that a deviation in the frequency of use among the plurality of printing apparatuses can be eliminated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a system configuration diagram depicting the overall configuration of a print processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram depicting the functional configuration of an operation terminal and a label printer;

[0017] Figure 3 is a table showing an example of the value of the cumulative operation amount of each label printer;

[0018] Figure 4(A) to (D) illustrate examples of screen transitions of the operation terminal;

[0019] Figures 5A to 5D Another example of screen transition of an operation terminal is illustrated;

[0020] Figure 6 is a flowchart depicting a process performed by the CPU of the operating terminal;

[0021] Figure 7 is a table showing an example of the value of the cumulative operation amount and the corresponding weight value of each label printer in a modified embodiment of the cumulative operation amount for selecting a plurality of items on a touch panel;

[0022] Figures 8A to 8D illustrates an example of screen transition of an operation terminal;

[0023] Figures 9A to 9D illustrates another example of screen transition of an operation terminal; and

[0024] Fig.10 is a flowchart depicting a processing procedure executed by the CPU of the operation terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] <Present Embodiment>

[0027] Reference Figures 1 to 6 Embodiments of the present disclosure are described.

[0028] <Configuration of Print Processing System>

[0029] First, refer to Figure 1 The overall configuration of the print processing system of this embodiment is described below. Figure 1As shown, the print processing system 1 of the present embodiment includes an operation terminal 2, and at least one (three in this example) label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. The label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C can be connected to the operation terminal 2 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) wireless communication (hereinafter, referred to as "Bluetooth communication"). In other words, the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C are within the communication range of the Bluetooth communication through the operation terminal 2. Therefore, data can be sent and received between each label printer 3A, 3B, and 3C and the operation terminal 2. At the same time, when they are collectively referred to as "label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C" without distinction, they are referred to as "label printers 3". At the same time, the label printer 3 corresponds to an example of a printing device. The operation terminal 2 is a so-called smart phone having an operation button 14 and a touch panel 17, and the touch panel 17 is a display having a display function and capable of touch operation. At the same time, the operation terminal 2 is not limited to a smart phone, and can be a so-called feature phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc., and the display is not limited to the touch panel 17.

[0030] The label printer 3 is configured to send and receive various information and instruction signals to and from the operation terminal 2 based on user operations on the operation terminal 2, and to generate a print label L having desired printing such as text and images thereon. Meanwhile, the print label L corresponds to an example of a printed print medium.

[0031] <Function Configuration>

[0032] Then, refer to Figure 2 Describe the functional configuration of the print processing system.

[0033] <Operation Terminal>

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the operation terminal 2 includes a CPU 12, a memory 13 including a RAM, a ROM, etc., an operation button 14, a communication control unit 15, a large-capacity storage device 16 such as a flash memory, and a touch panel 17. Meanwhile, the display function portion of the touch panel 17 corresponds to an example of a display defined in the claims, the communication control unit 15 corresponds to an example of a communication unit, and the CPU 12 corresponds to an example of a computer. Moreover, the operation function portions of the touch panel 17 and the operation button 14 correspond to an example of an operation unit defined in the claims. Hereinafter, they are collectively referred to as "the operation unit 14, etc."

[0035] For example, in the RAM of the memory 13 , print data corresponding to desired print contents to be written on the print label L is stored, the print data being generated as a result of appropriate operations on the touch panel 17 by the user.

[0036] The CPU 12 is configured to control the operation terminal 2 as a whole by executing various programs stored in the ROM of the memory 13 and the large-capacity storage device 16 while using the temporary storage function of the RAM of the memory 13. Meanwhile, the program includes an information processing program of the present embodiment, which is configured to execute the information processing program to be described later. Figure 6 and Fig.10 The process is shown in the flowchart.

[0037] The communication control unit 15 is configured to control communication performed with the label printer 3 .

[0038] The mass storage device 16 is, for example, a main body memory but is not limited thereto, and may be an appropriate external memory such as an SD memory card.

[0039] In the above configuration, the operation terminal 2 can be connected to any one of a plurality of label printers 3 (label printers 3A to 3C in this example) within the communication range via the communication control unit 15. For example, when performing printing, the operation terminal 2 is connected to an appropriate label printer 3 via wireless communication by a well-known method, and the operation unit 14 or the like is operated to send a print instruction to the connected label printer 3, so that the label printer 3 can perform the desired printing.

[0040] <Label Printer>

[0041] The label printer 3 includes a control circuit 202, an operation unit 206, a communication control unit 208, a cartridge holder 210, a housing unit 213 housing a battery BT configured to apply an electromotive force, a degradation sensor 212 configured to detect a degree of degradation of the battery BT housed in the housing unit 213, a print head 205, a cutter 207, and a conveyor device 209. Meanwhile, the housing unit 213 corresponds to an example of a housing member defined in the claims, and the cutter 207 corresponds to an example of a cutter.

[0042] The control circuit 202 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, etc. In the ROM, a processing program is configured to cause the CPU of the control circuit 202 to execute a stored predetermined process. The communication control unit 208 is configured to control communication performed by the communication control unit 15 of the operation terminal 2 .

[0043] The ink cartridge holder 210 can be detachably mounted with an ink cartridge having a tape roll 204 (which actually has a spiral shape, but is simplified and shown as concentric circles) having a tape 203 wound thereon (or the ink cartridge holder can also be configured as a tape roll holder to which the tape roll 204 can be directly detachably mounted). Meanwhile, the tape 203 corresponds to an example of a printing medium defined in the claims.

[0044] The conveyor device 209 is disposed to face the print head 205 , and is configured to convey the tape 203 rolled out from the tape roll 204 .

[0045] The print head 205 is configured to perform printing on the tape 203 conveyed by the conveyor device 209 based on print data received from the operation terminal 2 .

[0046] The cutter 207 is configured to be driven by a driving solenoid (not shown) under the control of the control circuit 202, and cuts the printing tape 203 into a predetermined length to form a printed label L (refer to Figure 1 ). At the same time, the control circuit 202 is configured to count the history when the cutter 207 performs the cutting operation, and store the number of cutting times in an appropriate memory (for example, ROM, etc.).

[0047] Degradation sensor 212 is configured to detect the degree of degradation of battery BT by a well-known method and output corresponding degradation information to control circuit 202 .

[0048] <Features of the Embodiment>

[0049] As described above, in an environment where the operation terminal 2 can be freely connected to any one of the plurality of label printers 3, there may be a situation where the usage frequency of each label printer 3 is deviated, such as a situation where, although one of the plurality of label printers 3 is frequently connected and printing is performed therein, another label printer 3 is rarely connected and printing is rarely performed. In this case, some of the label printers 3 that are frequently used may deteriorate rapidly, which may result in malfunction, damage, etc.

[0050] Therefore, in order to avoid such a scenario, in the present embodiment, the CPU of each label printer 3 (label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C in the present example) regularly collects the cumulative operation amount of its own multiple items (to be described later) within a predetermined period of time, and broadcasts it to the operation terminal 2 through Bluetooth communication. When each label printer 3 repeatedly performs the operation of generating the print label L, the cumulative operation amount includes, for example, the number of print labels L generated, the print length printed on the print label L, the print coverage, the number of times the cutter 207 cuts the tape 203, the degree of deterioration of the battery BT, and the like.

[0051] In the operation terminal 2, after the cumulative operation amount of a plurality of items broadcasted from each label printer 3 is acquired as described above, the usage frequency ranking of each label printer 3 with respect to at least one item desired by the user is determined. The name of the label printer 3 with a lower usage frequency ranking is displayed at the upper portion of the touch panel 17. Thus, the user is more likely to connect the label printer 3 (for sending print data) with a lower usage frequency, so that each label printer 3 can be used more evenly. Hereinafter, the details are described in order.

[0052] <Example of cumulative operation volume per printer>

[0053] For example, Figure 3 An example of the cumulative operation amount of the label printers 3A to 3C within an appropriate predetermined time period (for example, a time period from any past timing of purchasing the label printer 3 to the current time point) is shown. In the example, as the cumulative operation amount, five operation amounts are counted by the CPU of each label printer 3, which are the production number of printed labels L [sheets], the print length printed on the printed labels L [mm], the print coverage [%], the number of times the tape 203 is cut [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT. At the same time, Figure 3 In the present invention, the label printer 3A is referred to as “printer 1”, the label printer 3B is referred to as “printer 2”, and the label printer 3C is referred to as “printer 3”. Also, the number of printed labels L generated is referred to as “print count”.

[0054] exist Figure 3 In the example, for the label printer 3A, the production quantity of the printed labels L is 50 [sheets], the printing length is 500 [mm], the printing coverage is 30 [%], the number of cuts is 50 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is set to a relative value of "low". Similarly, for the label printer 3B, the production quantity of the printed labels L is 100 [sheets], the printing length is 300 [mm], the printing coverage is 40 [%], the number of cuts is 100 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is set to a relative value of "high". Similarly, for the label printer 3C, the production quantity of the printed labels L is 120 [sheets], the printing length is 100 [mm], the printing coverage is 10 [%], the number of cuts is 50 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is set to a relative value of "medium".

[0055] The accumulated operation amount information including the corresponding value of the accumulated operation amount is broadcasted from each of the label printers 3A to 3C at predetermined intervals. As a result, the accumulated operation amount information of the label printers 3A, 3B and 3C is received via the communication control unit 15 and is regularly acquired by the operation terminal 2.

[0056] <Display screen of the operation terminal>

[0057] In the operation terminal 2, for example, Figure 4 As shown in (A), when the cumulative operation amount information from the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C is acquired as described above, selection buttons for selecting the cumulative operation amount of the corresponding item are displayed on the touch panel 17. In this example, when the production number [sheets] of the printed labels L, the print coverage [%], the print length [mm] printed on the printed labels L, the number of cuts of the tape 203 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT are received respectively, five selection buttons of the "number of print sheets" button 17a, the "print length" button 17b, the "print coverage" button 17c, the "number of cuts" button 17d, and the "degree of deterioration of the battery" button 17e are displayed on the touch panel 17.

[0058] <Example of specifying the cumulative operation amount>

[0059] Figure 4 (B) shows a case where the user presses the "print number" button 17a among the selection buttons 17a to 17e to specify the "production number of print labels L" of the cumulative operation amount. Thus, the operation terminal 2 determines the use frequency ranking based on the production number of the selected print labels L of each of the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. Figure 3 As shown, the production quantity of the printed labels L in the label printer 3A is 50 [sheets], the production quantity of the printed labels L in the label printer 3B is 100 [sheets], and the production quantity of the printed labels L in the label printer 3C is 120 [sheets]. Therefore, regarding the frequency of use ranking, in descending order of the production quantity, the label printer 3C ranks first, the label printer 3B ranks second, and the label printer 3A ranks third.

[0060] In the operation terminal 2, identification information (model / name, etc.) of each label printer 3 is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 17 so that, according to the determined ranking, the label printer 3 with a low frequency of use is displayed in priority to the label printer 3 with a high frequency of use ranking. In this example, the label printer 3 with a low frequency of use ranking is displayed on the uppermost portion of the touch panel 17. That is, Figure 4 As shown in (C), in the frequency of use display column 17P of the screen of the touch panel 17, identification information "Printer-XP-01" indicating the lowest ranked label printer 3A is displayed at the top, identification information "Printer-AW-02" indicating label printer 3B is displayed below the identification information "Printer-XP-01", and identification information "Printer-CQ-03" indicating label printer 3C is displayed at the bottom.

[0061] Corresponding to the display of the three label printers 3A to 3C, a message 17R "Three printers have been found. Which printer do you want to connect to?" is displayed below the use frequency display column 17P. At the same time, identification information "Wireless A" of the wireless communication corresponding to the communication display column 17Q ​​indicating the wireless communication being used is displayed above the use frequency display column 17P.

[0062] Figure 4 (D) shows the viewing Figure 4 (C) The user selects "Printer-XP-01" displayed at the top in the screen display on the touch panel 17. As a result, a connection is made to the label printer 3A for sending print data (see the connection in progress display column 17S indicating that the connection is in progress).

[0063] <Another Example of Cumulative Operation Amount Designation>

[0064] Figures 5A to 5D An example of specifying another accumulated operation amount is shown. That is, Figure 5B Shown in a similar Figure 4 (A) shows five selection buttons, namely, a "number of prints" button 17a, a "print length" button 17b, a "print coverage" button 17c, a "number of cuts" button 17d, and a "battery deterioration degree" button 17e. Figure 5A In the state, the user presses the "battery degradation degree" button 17e to designate the "battery BT degradation degree" of the accumulated operation amount.

[0065] In this case, the operation terminal 2 determines the usage frequency ranking based on the degree of degradation of the battery BT selected for each of the label printers 3A, 3B, and 3C. Figure 3 As shown, the degradation degree of the label printer 3A is "low", the degradation degree of the label printer 3B is "high", and the degradation degree of the label printer 3C is "medium". Therefore, regarding the frequency of use ranking, in order of lower degradation degree, the label printer 3A ranks first, the label printer 3C ranks second, and the label printer 3B ranks third.

[0066] In the operation terminal 2, identification information (model / name, etc.) of each label printer 3 is displayed on the screen of the touch panel 17 so that, according to the determined ranking, the label printer 3 with a low frequency of use ranking is displayed in priority to the label printer 3 with a high frequency of use ranking. In this example, the label printer 3 with a low frequency of use ranking is displayed on the uppermost portion of the touch panel 17. That is, Figure 5CAs shown, in the frequency of use display column 17P of the screen of the touch panel 17, identification information "Printer-AW-02" indicating the lowest ranked label printer 3B is displayed at the top, identification information "Printer-CQ-03" indicating label printer 3C is displayed below the identification information "Printer-AQ-02", and identification information "Printer-XP-01" indicating label printer 3A is displayed at the bottom.

[0067] Corresponding to the display of the three label printers 3A to 3C, similarly to the above case, a message 17R “Three printers have been found. Which printer do you want to connect to?” is displayed below the use frequency display column 17P.

[0068] Figure 5D Shows viewing Figure 5C The user selects "Printer-AW-02" displayed at the top of the screen display on the touch panel 17. As a result, a connection for sending print data to the label printer 3B is executed (refer to the connection in progress display column 17S, which indicates that the connection is in progress).

[0069] <Control process of operating terminal>

[0070] Reference Figure 6 The flowchart shown in FIG. 1 describes the processing performed by the CPU 12 of the operation terminal 2 to implement the above configuration. Here, the information processing program is executed to perform the processing shown in the flowchart (this also applies to Fig.10 ).

[0071] exist Figure 6 In step S10, the CPU 12 receives the cumulative operation amount information of each label printer 3 broadcasted from the label printers 3A to 3C as described above via the communication control unit 15, and acquires the corresponding cumulative operation amount. Step S10 corresponds to acquisition of the cumulative operation amount defined in the claims.

[0072] Then, in step S20, the CPU 12 displays selection buttons (in the above example, the “number of prints” button 17a, the “print length” button 17b, the “print coverage” button 17c, the “number of cuts” button 17d, and the “battery deterioration degree” button 17e, the same as below) to select items corresponding to the cumulative operation amount acquired in step S10 so that selection can be made on the touch panel 17. Step S20 corresponds to the display of the selection buttons defined in the claims.

[0073] Then, in step S30, the CPU 12 determines whether at least one of the selection buttons 17a to 17e displayed in step S20 (hereinafter, simply collectively referred to as "selection button 17a, etc.") is pressed. When any of the selection buttons 17a, etc. is not pressed, the determination is not satisfied (S30: No), and the CPU 12 waits in a loop. When at least one of the selection buttons 17a, etc. is pressed to designate the item of the corresponding cumulative operation amount, the determination in step S30 is satisfied (S30: Yes), and the CPU 12 proceeds to step S60. Step S30 corresponds to the reception of the designation defined in the claims.

[0074] In step S60, the CPU 12 determines the frequency of use ranking with reference to the value of the cumulative operation amount of the item selected in step S30 of the cumulative operation amount of each label printer 3 acquired in step S10. As described above, when the selected item is, for example, the production quantity of the printed labels L, the ranking is determined as first, second, etc. in descending order of the production quantity. Meanwhile, when the selected item is the print length, the print coverage, or the number of cuts, similarly, the ranking is determined as first, second, etc. in order of larger values. Moreover, when the selected item is, for example, the degree of deterioration of the battery T, the ranking is determined as first, second, etc. in order of relatively lower degrees of deterioration.

[0075] Then, in step S70, the CPU 12 displays the label printers 3 on the touch panel 7 such that the label printers 3 having a low usage frequency ranking are displayed in preference to the label printers 3 having a high usage frequency ranking, according to the usage frequency ranking of each label printer 3 determined in step S60. Meanwhile, step S70 and step S90 (to be described later) correspond to performing one of the connection processing and the preparation processing defined in the claims, and the processing performed in step S70 corresponds to the preparation processing defined in the claims.

[0076] Then, in step S80, corresponding to the display on the touch panel 17 in step S70, the CPU 12 determines whether the user has selected which one of the label printers 3. When no label printer is selected, the determination is not satisfied (S80: No), and the CPU 12 waits in a loop. When any one of the label printers 3 is selected, the determination is satisfied (S80: Yes), and the CPU 12 proceeds to step S90.

[0077] In step S90, the CPU 12 is connected to the communication control unit 208 of the label printer 3 selected in step S80 through the communication control unit 15, so that information can be sent and received by a well-known method. Thus, as described above, after the connection is completed, when the user appropriately operates the operation unit 14, etc., a print instruction (including print data) can be sent to the connected label printer 3. The processing performed in step S90 corresponds to the connection processing defined in the claims. After the processing in step S90 is completed, the flow ends.

[0078] <Effects of the Embodiment>

[0079] As described above, in the present embodiment, based on the value of the cumulative operation amount acquired from each label printer 3, the usage frequency ranking of the label printer 3 is determined, and the label printers are displayed on the touch panel 17 so that the label printer 3 with a low usage frequency ranking is displayed in priority to the label printer 3 with a high usage frequency ranking. Thus, when the user operates the label printer 3 via the operation terminal 2 for printing, among the plurality of label printers 3 within the communication range, the operation terminal 2 can be more easily connected to the label printer 3 with a low usage frequency ranking than the label printer 3 with a high usage frequency ranking. Thus, the plurality of label printers 3 are used substantially evenly, so that the deviation of the usage frequency among the plurality of label printers 3 can be eliminated. Therefore, the rapid deterioration, failure, damage, etc. of some label printers 3 can be suppressed, so that the convenience of the user can be improved as described above.

[0080] Moreover, in the present embodiment, specifically, selection buttons 17a to 17e for selecting the cumulative operation amount of the corresponding item are displayed on the touch panel 17, and the designation of the corresponding item is received by the user's selection operation of the selection buttons 17a to 17e. Thus, for example, when determining the frequency of use ranking, it is possible to adjust which item among the cumulative operation amounts of multiple items needs to be considered and which item does not need to be considered, etc. according to the needs of the user.

[0081] In the above, when the frequency ranking of each label printer 3 is determined in step S60, the identification information of each label printer 3 is displayed based on the ranking in step S70, and then the connection with one label printer 3 is performed in step S90 according to the user's selection. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, steps S70 and S80 can be omitted. That is, in this case, when the frequency ranking of each label printer 3 is determined in step S60, the connection with each label printer 3 can be performed, and based on the determined ranking, the label printer 3 with a low frequency ranking is connected in step S90 in priority to the label printer 3 with a high frequency ranking. In the above example, when the item selected by the user is, for example, the production quantity of the printed label L, the connection is performed on the label printer 3A with the lowest frequency ranking (display and selection are not performed). At the same time, even if the connection with the label printer 3A is performed, when the connection cannot be made or the connection condition is poor, the connection can be performed on the label printer 3B with the second lowest frequency ranking. When the connection cannot be made or the connection condition is poor with respect to the label printer 3B, the connection can be performed on the label printer 3C with the second lowest frequency ranking. In this case, step S90 corresponds to performing one of the connection process and the preparation process defined in the claims, and the process performed in step S90 corresponds to the connection process.

[0082] In this case, even when the user does not particularly intend, the operation terminal 2 is connected to the label printer 3 with a low usage frequency ranking in preference to the label printer 3 with a high usage frequency ranking. Also, in this case, similarly to the above, the deviation of the usage frequency between the plurality of label printers 3 can be eliminated.

[0083] <Modified Example>

[0084] Meanwhile, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and technical ideas of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the modified embodiments are described in order. The parts equivalent to the embodiments are represented by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are appropriately omitted or simplified.

[0085] (1) When selecting multiple items on the touch panel and accumulating the amount of operations

[0086] That is, the present modified embodiment relates to a case where the user selects two or more cumulative operation amounts among the plurality of items displayed on the above-mentioned touch panel 17 (in other words, selects buttons 17a to 17e). In this case, the frequency of use ranking is determined by the sum of the scores corresponding to the values ​​of the cumulative operation amounts of the corresponding items. When the total score is calculated, a predetermined weighting (described in detail later) is performed on the value of the cumulative operation amount of each item, and the total scores after weighting are compared with each other, thereby determining the frequency of use ranking of the plurality of label printers 3. At the same time, the total score corresponds to an example of the score defined in the claims.

[0087] <Weighting Example>

[0088] In this modified embodiment, reference is made to Figure 3 of Figure 7 An example of the cumulative operation amount of each label printer 3 and weighting each item of the cumulative operation amount is described. Figure 7 In the example, similar to Figure 3 , the production quantity of printed labels L in the label printer 3A is 50 [sheets], the printing length is 500 [mm], the printing coverage is 30 [%], the number of cutting times is 50 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is a relative value of "low". Similarly, the production quantity of printed labels L in the label printer 3B is 100 [sheets], the printing length is 300 [mm], the printing coverage is 40 [%], the number of cutting times is 100 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is set to a relative value of "high". Similarly, the production quantity of printed labels L in the label printer 3C is 120 [sheets], the printing length is 100 [mm], the printing coverage is 10 [%], the number of cutting times is 50 [times], and the degree of deterioration of the battery BT is set to a relative value of "medium".

[0089] like Figure 7As shown at the top of , a predetermined weight is set and the cumulative operation amount of each item is assigned in advance. In the example shown, a weight of "10" is assigned to the production quantity of the printed label L, a weight of "5" is assigned to the print length, a weight of "3" is assigned to the print coverage, a weight of "1" is assigned to the number of cuts, and a weight of "3" is assigned to the degree of degradation of the battery BT. When the user selects the cumulative operation amount of multiple items, as described above, the values ​​of the cumulative operation amounts of the selected multiple items are multiplied by the weights respectively, and the identification information of the label printer 3 to be displayed preferentially is determined based on the magnitude of the total score obtained by summing the multiplied values. In the calculation of the total score of this example, the value of the cumulative operation amount of each item of the label printer 3A among the three label printers 3A, 3B and 3C is set to a reference value (100 / 100), the reference value is multiplied by the value of the weight assigned to each item, and the multiplied values ​​are summed for the selected multiple items. At the same time, for the value of the accumulated operation amount of each item of the remaining label printers 3B and 3C, relative value conversion with respect to the reference value of the label printer 3A is performed, the relative value is multiplied by the value of the weight given to each item, and the multiplied values ​​are summed.

[0090] Meanwhile, as described above, in this example, the degree of degradation of the battery BT is evaluated as "high", "medium", and "low". However, in the following calculation, "high" is replaced with a numerical value of 1, "medium" is replaced with a numerical value of 2, and "low" is replaced with a numerical value of 3 (refer to Figure 7 The numbers in brackets in the .

[0091] <Example 1 of score calculation>

[0092] As an example, Fig. 8A As shown, a situation is described in which a Figure 4 (A) After five selection buttons 17a to 17e are displayed on the touch panel 17, as shown in FIG. Figure 8B As shown, the user presses the "Number of Print Sheets" button 17a and the "Print Length" button 17b (two cumulative operation amounts for selecting the number of print sheets and the print length).

[0093] In this case, the value of the cumulative operation amount of each item of the label printer 3A is 50 [sheets] of the production quantity of the printed labels L and 500 [mm] of the printing length. Meanwhile, since the total score of the label printer 3A is the sum of the values ​​obtained by multiplying the relative value and the value of the cumulative operation amount as a reference value by the weight of each cumulative operation amount (weight "10" for the production quantity of the printed labels L and weight "5" for the printing length), the total score is 10+5=15 [points].

[0094] At the same time, since the production quantity of printed labels L of label printer 3B is 100 [sheets] (twice that of label printer 3A) and the printing length is 300 [mm] (3 / 5 times that of label printer 3A), the total score of label printer 3B is 10×2+5×(3 / 5)=20+3=23 [points].

[0095] Similarly, since the production quantity of printed labels L by label printer 3C is 120 [sheets] (12 / 5 times that of label printer 3A) and the printing length is 100 [mm] (1 / 5 times that of label printer 3A), the total score of label printer 3C is 10×(12 / 5)+5×(1 / 5)=24+1=25 [points].

[0096] As a result, the total scores are in the order of label printer 3A < label printer 3B < label printer 3C. Therefore, regarding the usage frequency ranking, in ascending order of the total scores, label printer 3A ranks first, label printer 3B ranks second, and label printer 3C ranks third.

[0097] The result is similar to Figure 4 (C) displays the identification information (model, name, etc.) of each label printer 3 (in this example, at another upper portion of the touch panel 17) so that label printers 3 with a low frequency of use ranking are displayed in priority to label printers 3 with a high frequency of use ranking. Figure 8C As shown, in the frequency of use display column 17P, the identification information "Printer-XP-01" indicating the lowest ranked label printer 3A is displayed at the top, the identification information "Printer-AW-02" indicating the label printer 3B is displayed below the identification information "Printer-XP-01", and the identification information "Printer-CQ-03" indicating the label printer 3C is displayed at the bottom.

[0098] Fig.8D In a similar way to the above, viewing is depicted Figure 8C The screen display on the touch panel 17 shows a case where the user selects "Printer-XP-01" displayed at the uppermost end. Similar to the above, a connection-in-progress display column 17S indicating that the connection with the selected label printer 3A is in progress is shown.

[0099] <Example 2 of score calculation>

[0100] As another example, a situation is described such as Fig. 9A As shown, where, in a similar Figure 4 (A) and Fig. 8A After the five selection buttons 17a to 17e are displayed on the touch panel 17, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9B As shown, the user presses all five selection buttons, namely, the "Number of Prints" button 17a, the "Print Length" button 17b, the "Print Coverage" button 17c, the "Number of Cuts" button 17d, and the "Degradation of Battery" button 17e (the five cumulative operation amounts of the number of prints, print length, print coverage, number of cuts, and degree of battery degradation are selected).

[0101] In this case, since weight “10” is assigned to the production quantity of printed labels L, weight “5” is assigned to the print length, weight “3” is assigned to the print coverage, weight “1” is assigned to the number of cuts and weight “3” is assigned to the degree of deterioration of the battery BT, the total score of the label printer 3A is 10+5+3+1+3=22 [points].

[0102] At the same time, since the production quantity of printed labels L of label printer 3B is 100 [sheets] (twice that of label printer 3A), the printing length is 300 [mm] (3 / 5 times that of label printer 3A), the printing coverage is 40 [%] (4 / 3 of that of label printer 3A), the number of cutting times is 100 [times] (twice that of label printer 3A), and the degree of battery deterioration is 1 (1 / 3 of that of label printer 3A), the total score of label printer 3B is 10×2+5×(3 / 5)+3×(4 / 3)+1×2+3×(1 / 3)=20+3+4+2+1=30 [points].

[0103] Similarly, since the production quantity of printed labels L of label printer 3C is 120 [sheets] (12 / 5 times that of label printer 3A), the printing length is 100 [mm] (1 / 5 times that of label printer 3A), the printing coverage is 10 [%] (1 / 3 of that of label printer 3A), the number of cutting times is 50 [times] (the same as label printer 3A), and the degree of battery deterioration is 2 (2 / 3 of that of label printer 3A), the total score of label printer 3C is 10×(12 / 5)+5×(1 / 5)+3×(1 / 3)+1+3×(2 / 3)=24+1+1+1+2=29 [points].

[0104] As a result, the total scores are in the order of label printer 3A < label printer 3C < label printer 3B. Therefore, regarding the usage frequency ranking, in ascending order of the total scores, label printer 3A ranks first, label printer 3C ranks second, and label printer 3B ranks third.

[0105] The result is similar to Figure 4 (C) and Figure 8C, the identification information (model, name, etc.) of each label printer 3 is displayed (in this example, at another upper portion of the touch panel 17) so that the label printer 3 with a low frequency of use ranking is displayed in priority to the label printer 3 with a high frequency of use ranking. Fig. 9C As shown, in the frequency of use display column 17P, the identification information "Printer-XP-01" indicating the lowest ranked label printer 3A is displayed at the top, the identification information "Printer-CQ-03" indicating the label printer 3C is displayed below the identification information "Printer-XP-01", and the identification information "Printer-AW-02" indicating the label printer 3B is displayed at the bottom.

[0106] Fig.9D In a similar way to the above, viewing is depicted Fig. 9C The screen display on the touch panel 17 shows a case where the user selects "Printer-XP-01" displayed at the uppermost end. Similar to the above, a connection-in-progress display column 17S indicating that the connection with the selected label printer 3A is in progress is shown.

[0107] <Control process of operating terminal>

[0108] In the corresponding Figure 6 of Fig.10 2 shows the processing executed by the CPU 12 of the operation terminal 2 to implement the above-described method of the present modified embodiment.

[0109] exist Fig.10 In the process of Figure 6 That is, similar to the above, when any one of the selection buttons 17a to 17e is pressed and the determination of step S30 is satisfied via steps S10 to S20 (S30: Yes), the CPU 12 proceeds to the newly set step S40.

[0110] In step S40, the CPU 12 determines whether two or more selection buttons were pressed in step S30 (in the above example, whether at least two of the “number of prints” button 17a, “print coverage” button 17c, “print length” button 17b, “number of cuts” button 17d, and “battery deterioration degree” button 17e were pressed). When only one selection button was pressed, the determination is not satisfied (S40: No), and similarly Figure 6 , the CPU 12 proceeds to step S60. Then, similar to Figure 6 , execute steps S60 to S90, and the process ends.

[0111] Meanwhile, in step S40 , when the pressed selection button is only one, the determination is not satisfied ( S40 : No), and when the pressed selection buttons are two or more, the determination is satisfied ( S40 : Yes) and the CPU 12 proceeds to step S50 .

[0112] In step S50, the CPU 12 calculates the total score of each label printer 3 by the above method using the weight associated with each of the plurality of accumulated operation amounts corresponding to the selected plurality of selection buttons. Meanwhile, step S50 corresponds to the calculation of the score defined in the claims.

[0113] Then, in step S60, the CPU 12 determines the usage frequency ranking by the above method based on the total score of each label printer 3 calculated in step S50. The processing contents of steps S70 to S90 are similar to those of the above embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. <Effects of Modified Embodiment>

[0114] As described above, in the present modified embodiment, when the user selects the cumulative operation amount of a plurality of items, the total score of each label printer 3 is calculated by assigning a predetermined weight to each cumulative operation amount 3 and summing them. Then, the frequency of use ranking of each of the plurality of label printers 3 is determined based on the total score. Thus, when determining the frequency of use ranking, the weight of each item in the cumulative operation amount of a plurality of items, such as particularly important items (e.g., "number of prints"), not very important items (e.g., "number of cuts"), etc., can be digitized and set. When determining the frequency of use ranking of each label printer 3, the total score reflecting the weight is calculated for each label printer 3, so that the frequency of use ranking can be smoothly and accurately determined by the magnitude of the total score.

[0115] (2) Others

[0116] In the above, the case where the present disclosure is applied to a label printer 3 as a printing device, which is configured to generate a printed label L by performing desired printing on a tape 203 as a printing medium, has been exemplified. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, as an example of a printing device, the present disclosure can also be applied to a printer configured to form an image or print characters on ordinary paper (corresponding to an example of a printing medium) of A4, A3, B4, B5, etc. or a portable printer configured to be driven by a battery power supply. That is, the present disclosure can be applied to any printing device having a communication function with an operation terminal 2 via wireless communication. Similar effects can also be obtained in these cases.

[0117] Moreover, in the above, an example has been described in which the present disclosure is applied to a smartphone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc. as the operation terminal 2. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, the present disclosure can also be applied to a digital camera, a measuring device, a watch, and various electronic devices such as an information device, a communication device, and a control device because it has a communication function with the label printer 3 via wireless communication. Similar effects can also be obtained in these cases.

[0118] Moreover, in the above, Figure 2 Arrows and the like shown in the corresponding drawings indicate examples of signal flows and do not limit the flow direction of the signals.

[0119] and, Figure 6 and 10 The illustrated flowchart does not limit the present disclosure to the process shown in the flowchart, and the process may be changed or the process may be added / omitted without departing from the spirit and technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0120] Furthermore, in addition to the above, the methods described in the above-mentioned embodiments and the corresponding modified embodiments may be appropriately combined and used.

[0121] In addition, although not illustrated in detail, the present disclosure may be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program readable by a computer of an operation terminal, the operation terminal comprising a communication unit, a display, an operation unit, and the computer, the communication unit being connected to a printing device via wireless communication so that information can be sent to and received from the printing device, the printing device being configured to perform printing on a printing medium when the printing medium is conveyed, the display being configured to display information, the computer program, when executed by the computer, causing the operation terminal to perform: acquiring a cumulative operation amount of a plurality of items of each of the plurality of printing devices, the cumulative operation amount being an amount accumulated within a predetermined period of time and being transmitted from the plurality of printing devices within a communication range of the communication unit; receiving, via the operation unit, a designation of at least one item among the plurality of items; Determining a usage frequency ranking of the plurality of printing devices according to the received designation; as well as Based on the result of the determined usage frequency ranking, one of connection processing for connecting to the printing device via the wireless communication and preparation processing for preparing for connecting to the printing device via the wireless communication is performed in a manner that gives priority to the printing device with a low usage frequency ranking over the printing device with a high usage frequency ranking.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, in, The preparation process includes displaying the printing apparatus having the low usage frequency ranking on the display in priority to the printing apparatus having the high usage frequency ranking.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, The connection processing includes connecting to the printing device having the low usage frequency ranking through the wireless communication via the communication unit, with priority being given to the printing device having the high usage frequency ranking.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, When the computer program is executed by the computer, the operation terminal further executes: displaying, in an operable manner, selection buttons for selecting the plurality of items on the display, and The receiving of the designation includes receiving the designation of the item in response to an operation on the selection button displayed on the display and corresponding to the item.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, When the computer program is executed by the computer, the operation terminal further executes: In a case where the receiving of the designation includes receiving a designation of at least two items among the plurality of items, calculating a score for each of the plurality of printing devices by weighting the received cumulative operation amounts of the at least two items in a predetermined manner and summing the weighted cumulative operation amounts, and The determining of the usage frequency ranking includes: determining the usage frequency ranking of each of the plurality of printing devices based on the calculated score.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, The accumulated operation amounts of the plurality of items include at least one of the following: the amount of the printed print media, the print coverage, and the print length in each of the plurality of the printing devices.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, Each of the plurality of printing devices comprises a cutter configured to cut the print medium after printing, and The accumulated operation amounts of the plurality of items include: the number of cutting times performed by the cutter in each of the plurality of printing devices.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 or 2, in, Each of the plurality of printing devices includes a receiving portion configured to receive a battery, the battery being configured to generate an electromotive force, and The accumulated operation amounts of the plurality of items include a degree of deterioration of the battery accommodated in the accommodation component in each of the plurality of printing devices.

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