A method, device and storage medium for implementing mobile printer selective printing

Abstract

The application provides a method, device and storage medium for realizing selected area printing of a mobile printer, which comprises the following steps: S1, in response to receiving an instruction of selected area printing, receiving inputted content to be printed; S2, in response to receiving an instruction of adding selected areas, performing area screenshot on selected multiple printing areas in the order of selection; S3, processing the area data of the area screenshot according to a predetermined protocol format; S4, transmitting the processed area data to the mobile printer; S5, the mobile printer receiving the area data and the screenshot number, analyzing and storing the area data and the screenshot number; and S6, in response to receiving a printing instruction, the mobile printer sequentially taking out the stored area data according to the order of the screenshot number, and printing the taken area data on a selected surface according to the order of the screenshot number. By using the above technical scheme, arbitrary jigsaw printing of the mobile printer can be realized without cutting pictures back and forth.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mobile printing, and in particular to a method, apparatus, and storage medium for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer. Background Technology

[0002] Current portable inkjet printers typically process the entire image content by transmitting it to the printer for printing. However, for some images, users may only need to print a portion of the content. In such cases, it may be necessary to segment and crop the image for printing, which is a cumbersome process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present invention provide a method, apparatus and storage medium for selective printing with a mobile printer, which can realize arbitrary mosaic printing with a mobile printer without repeatedly cropping images.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, on the one hand, a method for selective printing with a mobile printer is provided, for mobile printing of selected content on a selected surface, including:

[0005] S1, the client responds to the instruction to print the selected area by receiving the input content to be printed in the selected area;

[0006] S2, the client responds to the instruction to add a selection area by selecting multiple printing areas from the printable content of the selection area and taking screenshots of the areas in the order of selection. Each screenshot is associated with a screenshot number, which indicates the order in which the printable areas corresponding to the screenshot are selected.

[0007] S3, the client processes the area data captured from the screenshot according to the protocol format agreed upon with the mobile printer in advance;

[0008] S4, the client transmits the processed area data and the corresponding screenshot number to the mobile printer;

[0009] S5: The mobile printer receives area data and screenshot number, parses and stores the area data and screenshot number;

[0010] S6, in response to receiving a print command, the mobile printer retrieves the stored area data in the order of the screenshot numbers, and prints the retrieved area data on the selected surface in the order of the screenshot numbers.

[0011] Preferably, in the method, step S6, printing the extracted area data sequentially on the selected surface according to the screenshot number order, includes:

[0012] The extracted area data is printed in sequence on the selected surface according to the screenshot number. Each time a print command is received, the area data with the first screenshot number among the currently unprinted area data is printed on the selected surface, until the area data of all screenshot numbers has been printed.

[0013] Preferably, in the method, in step S6, after the area data of a screenshot is printed, in response to receiving a print command, the mobile printer is moved to the selected surface where the area data of the next screenshot is to be printed, and the area data of the next screenshot number is printed.

[0014] Preferably, the method further includes:

[0015] Upon receiving the instruction to reduce the selection area, the client deselects the already selected printing area.

[0016] Preferably, in the method, the client receives each instruction by detecting events where a button or icon corresponding to each instruction is pressed, clicked, or selected.

[0017] Preferably, in the method, step S1 includes:

[0018] Upon receiving the instruction to print the selected area, the client enters the image editing interface and adds the content to be printed to the editor;

[0019] It receives the preprocessing instructions from the user in the editor for the content to be printed, and obtains the print content of the selected area.

[0020] Preferably, in the method, step S2 includes:

[0021] Upon receiving the instruction to enter the print preview interface, the client enters the print preview interface and displays the print content of the selected area.

[0022] The client responds to the user's instruction to add a selection area in the print preview interface, selects multiple print areas from the print content to be selected, and takes screenshots of the selected areas in the order they are selected. Each screenshot is associated with a screenshot number, which indicates the order in which the print areas corresponding to the screenshot are selected.

[0023] On the other hand, a system for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer is provided, comprising a client and a mobile printer. The client includes a first memory and a first processor. The first memory stores at least a first program segment, which is executed by the first processor to implement the steps performed by the client in any of the methods described above. The mobile printer includes a second memory and a second processor. The second memory stores at least a second program segment, which is executed by the second processor to implement the steps performed by the mobile printer in any of the methods described above.

[0024] In another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein at least one program is stored therein, the at least one program being executed by a processor to implement the steps performed by the client in any of the methods described above.

[0025] In another aspect, a mobile printer is provided, including a memory and a processor, the memory storing at least one program, said at least one program being executed by the processor to perform the steps performed by the mobile printer in any of the methods described above.

[0026] The above technical solution has the following technical effects:

[0027] The method for selective printing with a mobile printer according to embodiments of the present invention allows users to load the entire content to be printed, such as an image, and then select multiple printing areas to be printed. The user then takes screenshots of each printing area in the order they are selected, and saves the screenshot data according to the screenshot number indicating the selection order. During printing, the mobile printer retrieves the data of each printing area sequentially according to the screenshot number. After printing the data of one printing area, the user can move the mobile printer to the next selected surface to print the data of the next printing area corresponding to the next screenshot number on that next selected surface. This allows for arbitrary moving and printing of selected content on a selected surface.

[0028] In a further embodiment of the present invention, a split printing method is adopted. According to the order of the selected printing areas, each printing command prints only the data of one area. After the data of one area is printed, the user triggers another printing command and moves the printer to the surface of the area to be printed. In this way, splicing printing of any content can be achieved, which is convenient to operate and does not require back-and-forth cutting operations. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2In one embodiment of the present invention, the method for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer includes a printing interface displayed on the client side.

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the interface for adding a print selection area in a method for implementing selected area printing with a mobile printer, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides accompanying drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention, primarily used to illustrate the embodiments and to explain the operating principles of the embodiments in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification. With reference to these drawings, those skilled in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and the advantages of the present invention. Components in the drawings are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0033] The present invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Example 1:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for selective printing using a mobile printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of this embodiment is used for mobile printing of selected content on a selected surface, and includes the following steps:

[0036] S1, the client responds to the instruction to print the selected area by receiving the added content to be printed in the selected area;

[0037] S2, the client responds to the instruction to add a selection area by selecting multiple printing areas from the printable content and taking screenshots of the selected areas in the order of selection. Each screenshot is associated with a screenshot number, which indicates the order in which the corresponding printable areas are selected.

[0038] S3, the client processes the area data captured by the screenshot according to the protocol format agreed upon with the mobile printer in advance; through this step, the area data obtained after the screenshot can be converted into a predetermined format that the mobile printer can process;

[0039] S4, the client transmits the processed area data and the corresponding screenshot number to the mobile printer;

[0040] S5: The mobile printer receives area data and screenshot number, parses and stores the area data and screenshot number;

[0041] S6, in response to receiving a print command, the mobile printer retrieves the stored area data in the order of the screenshot numbers, and prints the retrieved area data on the selected surface in the order of the screenshot numbers.

[0042] The above-described technical solutions of the present invention can be used to enable arbitrary movement and printing of selected content on a selected surface.

[0043] Preferably, the client in steps S1 to S4 can be any client connected to the mobile printer, including mobile terminals such as smartphones. The client executes the above steps through a corresponding program set on it.

[0044] The method of this invention can be run on a corresponding client in software form and used in conjunction with a mobile printer to achieve selective printing.

[0045] In one embodiment, step S6 can involve, after a print command, the mobile printer sequentially retrieving the stored area data according to the screenshot numbers. After the user prints the data for one area, the mobile printer is moved to the next selected surface to print the data for the area corresponding to the next screenshot number. By moving the printer in this way, all selected areas can be printed on the selected surfaces. Alternatively, a predetermined dwell time, such as a few seconds, can be set after printing one area to allow the user to move to the next surface. This embodiment requires the user to move or slide the mobile printer to the corresponding surface in a timely manner, which places high demands on the operator.

[0046] In another preferred embodiment, a split printing method is used, where each print command prints only the area data corresponding to one screenshot. This method requires less user skill, is more convenient, and is less prone to errors. Specifically, in this embodiment, step S6, printing the extracted area data sequentially on the selected surface according to the screenshot number order, includes: printing the extracted area data on the selected surface in split printing according to the screenshot number order, wherein each time a print command is received, the area data with the earliest screenshot number among the currently unprinted area data is printed on the selected surface, until the area data of all screenshot numbers has been printed.

[0047] Users can input commands through the corresponding interface displayed on the client, such as by selecting, pressing, or clicking the button or icon corresponding to the command. The client responds to each received command by detecting the events of the button or icon set on it corresponding to each command being pressed, clicked, or selected.

[0048] Example 2:

[0049] Figure 2 This is an embodiment of the present invention for implementing a mobile printer's selected area printing method, showing the printing interface displayed on the client side. For example... Figure 2The printing interface has three function options: text printing, image printing, and selection area printing. The style and number of function options of this interface are exemplary, and those skilled in the art can adjust the style, number, and names of the function options as needed. When the user selects the selection area printing function option, a selection area printing instruction is sent to the client. In response to the user's selection of the selection area printing function, the client receives the user's input instruction for selection area printing and triggers the corresponding selection area printing function.

[0050] For example, after the user clicks the print button, the client enters the print content editing interface, such as an image editing interface, through the corresponding program. The user can add the content to be printed to the editor on the image editing page, such as... Figure 3 The image content is added. Users can use the editor to perform simple image processing, such as removing the background. Then, the user selects the print preview button to enter the print preview interface. The print preview interface has two buttons for the selection function: an "Add Selection" button and a "Decrease Selection" button. Figure 3 In this implementation, the two selection function buttons are represented by plus and minus icons. In other implementations, they can be displayed using other icons or text. Figure 3 The interface displays the two print areas that the user selects to print.

[0051] The user clicks the "Add Selection" button in the client application. The client, through its pre-configured program, receives the user's command to add a selection area. The user then uses the client to select the desired print area in the print preview interface. Figure 3 As shown, the user has selected print areas #1 and #2 using a selection box. In response to the user's selection, the selected print areas are displayed in the corresponding print preview interface using options such as color, grayscale, line quality, and brightness. The user can also deselect the print areas by reducing the selection area.

[0052] After the print area selection is complete, the client, through its pre-configured program, takes screenshots of the selected print areas in the order they were selected, with each screenshot associated with a screenshot number indicating the order in which the print areas were selected. The screenshot data is then processed according to a pre-agreed protocol with the mobile printer. After processing, it is transmitted to the mobile printer via a communication module on the client, such as via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The mobile printer's processor, such as the MCU, receives the selected print area data from the client, parses it, and stores the data in memory, such as PSRAM. When the user prints using the mobile printer, the printer retrieves the print area data from the PSRAM sequentially according to the screenshot numbers and prints it in batches. For example, the first printout prints area #1. After printing, once the user presses the print button again, the printer slides to the selected print surface to print area #2. This achieves... Figure 3 The prints of print areas #1 and #2 in the image are spliced ​​together.

[0053] In one specific implementation, after selecting the print area, the user can end the selection using a designated "End Selection" button or icon. Upon receiving the user's input to end the selection, the client begins executing the screenshot and other operations described above.

[0054] In another specific implementation, screenshots can be taken and screenshot numbers can be created directly while the user is selecting the print area.

[0055] In another implementation, the user's selection of the print area can be determined directly by the selection or clicking of the print button or icon in the print preview interface. At this point, the screenshot and other operations described above can begin. If the screenshot or other operations were completed during the print area selection process, then when the print button or icon is selected or clicked, the print data for each selected area, along with the screenshot number indicating the selection or screenshot order, can be transmitted to the mobile printer for subsequent parsing, storage, and printing.

[0056] In practical implementation, when printing the area data of each selected area in stages, triggering the mobile printer to print the area data of the next selected area can be achieved by selecting the soft button or icon for starting the print command in the corresponding client interface, or by pressing, selecting, or clicking the hardware or soft button on the mobile printer. Depending on the specific use case, there are multiple implementation methods.

[0057] In one embodiment, the client selects by drawing a rectangle; in other embodiments, the client may not be limited to a rectangular selection area, but may have selection areas of more shapes, such as triangles, circles, or other custom shapes. Users can choose different selection shapes and methods by selecting one of several pre-set selection methods.

[0058] Specifically, a protocol is pre-agreed between the client and the printer. Each screenshot of the area to be printed selected on the client's interface is processed into single-piece data. If multiple areas are selected, the printer actually interprets the data as multiple pieces, and prints the area data piece by piece. Each time the print button is pressed, the printer can only print one piece of data, that is, only the area data corresponding to one screenshot. After one piece of data is printed, the user presses the print button again, and the printer automatically retrieves the second piece of data for printing, repeating the above steps until all data is printed. Based on this principle and the free-printing characteristic of a mobile printer, users can print any piece of content anywhere on the surface of the object to be printed, achieving the effect of printing any jigsaw puzzle.

[0059] The method for selective printing with a mobile printer in this embodiment of the invention eliminates the need for cutting and splicing. Due to its portability and flexibility, the mobile printer allows for arbitrary splicing of printed content. By using selective printing, any imaginable content can be printed on any selected surface or location. In further embodiments of the invention, selection is not limited to rectangular areas; arbitrary shapes can be used to select the area to be printed, thus enabling more creative printing.

[0060] Example 3:

[0061] This invention also provides a system for implementing selected area printing with a mobile printer, comprising a client and a mobile printer. The client includes a first memory and a first processor. The first memory stores at least a first program segment, which is executed by the first processor to implement the steps performed by the client in any of the methods described above. The mobile printer includes a second memory and a second processor. The second memory stores at least a second program segment, which is executed by the second processor to implement the steps performed by the mobile printer in any of the methods described above. The processor includes one or more processing cores. The memory is connected to the processor via a bus and is used to store program instructions. The memory in the mobile printer is also used to store parsed area data corresponding to the area to be printed.

[0062] Furthermore, as an executable solution, the aforementioned client can be a computer unit, which can be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, cloud server, or other computing device. The computer unit may include, but is not limited to, a processor and memory. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described computer unit structure is merely an example and does not constitute a limitation on the computer unit. It may include more or fewer components, or combine certain components, or use different components. For example, the computer unit may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc., and this embodiment of the invention does not limit this.

[0063] Furthermore, as an executable solution, the processor can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The processor is the control center of the computer unit, connecting various parts of the entire computer unit via various interfaces and lines.

[0064] The memory can be used to store the computer programs and / or modules. The processor implements various functions of the computer unit by running or executing the computer programs and / or modules stored in the memory and by calling data stored in the memory. The memory may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and at least one application program required for a function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the mobile phone, etc. In addition, the memory may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as hard disk, RAM, plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital card (SD), flash card, at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device.

[0065] Example 4:

[0066] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method described above in the embodiments of the present invention that are executed by a client.

[0067] If the modules / units integrated in the computer unit are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can also be implemented by a computer program controlling related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, it can implement the steps of the various method embodiments described above. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or certain intermediate forms. The computer-readable medium can include: any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code, recording media, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, magnetic disks, optical disks, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and software distribution media, etc. It should be noted that the content contained in the computer-readable medium can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the requirements of legislation and patent practice in the jurisdiction.

[0068] Example 5:

[0069] This invention also provides a mobile printer, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores at least one program, which is executed by the processor to implement the steps performed by the mobile printer in any of the methods described above.

[0070] Although the invention has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, all of which shall be within the scope of protection of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer, used for moving and printing selected content on a selected surface, characterized in that, include: S1, the client responds to the instruction to print the selected area by receiving the input content to be printed in the selected area; S2, the client responds to the instruction to add a selection area by selecting multiple printing areas from the printable content and taking screenshots of the selected areas in the order of selection. Each screenshot is associated with a screenshot number, which indicates the order in which the printable areas corresponding to the screenshot are selected. S3, the client processes the area data captured from the screenshot according to the protocol format agreed upon with the mobile printer in advance; S4, the client transmits the processed area data and the corresponding screenshot number to the mobile printer; S5, the mobile printer receives the area data and the screenshot number, parses and stores the area data and the screenshot number; S6, in response to receiving a print command, the mobile printer sequentially retrieves the stored area data according to the screenshot number order, and sequentially prints the retrieved area data on the selected surface according to the screenshot number order; wherein, after the area data of one area screenshot is printed, a reservation time is set to allow the mobile printer to be moved to the surface selected for the area data of the next area screenshot to be printed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Upon receiving the instruction to reduce the selection area, the client deselects the already selected printing area.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The client receives each instruction by detecting events where the buttons or icons corresponding to each instruction are pressed, clicked, or selected.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S1 includes: Upon receiving the instruction to print the selected area, the client enters the image editing interface and adds the content to be printed to the editor; The system receives the preprocessing data of the content to be printed from the user in the editor and obtains the print content of the selected area.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S2 includes: Upon receiving an instruction to enter the print preview interface, the client enters the print preview interface and displays the print content of the selected area in the print preview interface; The client responds to the user's instruction to add a selection area in the print preview interface, selects multiple print areas from the print content to be selected, and takes screenshots of the selected areas in the order they are selected. Each screenshot is associated with a screenshot number, which indicates the order in which the print areas corresponding to the screenshot are selected.

6. A system for implementing selective printing with a mobile printer, characterized in that, The method includes a client and a mobile printer. The client includes a first memory and a first processor. The first memory stores at least a first program segment, which is executed by the first processor to implement the steps performed by the client in the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5. The mobile printer includes a second memory and a second processor. The second memory stores at least a second program segment, which is executed by the second processor to implement the steps performed by the mobile printer in the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A portable printer, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, the memory storing at least one program, the at least one program being executed by the processor to implement the steps performed by the mobile printer in the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

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