application

Abstract

To solve a problem that print is executed in the case where a NFC touch is performed in a state of displaying a preview screen, but an another manual setting is required when no operation is set when the NFC touch is performed in the other of the preview screen, and thus, a user who wants to perform operation other than the printing on a portable terminal has troublesome.SOLUTION: An application that includes a NFC interface, and is installed to an information processing device that can establish communication with a printer in a NFC system via the NFC interface, includes: a control part that specifies a printer identified by first data determined that it satisfies a predetermined condition received by the information processing device by the communication to be established by a communication system that is different from the NFC system, and tries the communication with the different communication system for the printer to be specified; and a notification part that notifies a user of an error on second data determined that it not satisfies the predetermined condition received by the information processing device by the communication to be established, and makes the information processing device to function as the control part and the notification part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, a control method thereof, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Some devices, such as MFPs (Multi Function Peripherals), are equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication), which contains information to identify the MFP, such as connection information (IP address and MAC address).

[0003] On the other hand, a mobile terminal capable of reading the contents of NFC may operate a mobile application for printing images or documents. In such a mobile terminal, a handover is known in which the mobile application is started and an image is displayed, and the image is touched to NFC (hereinafter, NFC touch) to read the image, and the information on the NFC is used for handover (Patent Document 1). Then, the AP (Access Point) of the wireless communication LAN to be connected is switched according to the NFC information, and the MFP at the handover destination can be used as the print destination for printing.

[0004] Also, a technique has been disclosed in which it is determined whether or not an MFP is in an error state, and a function is executed only when the MFP is in a non-error state (Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-157736 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2013-214139 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When an NFC touch is performed while an image is displayed on the preview screen of a mobile terminal, printing is performed, but when an NFC touch is performed while the image is not on the preview screen, the image to be printed has not been confirmed and printing is not possible. On the other hand, if nothing happens when an NFC touch is performed while the image is not on the preview screen, users who want to perform operations other than printing, such as scanning operations, with a mobile app have to manually connect to a wireless LAN and select an MFP, which is time-consuming. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to some embodiments, there is provided an application that is installed on an information processing device that has an NFC (Near Field Communication) interface and is capable of establishing communication with a printer using an NFC method via the NFC interface, the application causing the information processing device to function as: a control means that identifies the printer identified by first data that is determined to satisfy specified conditions received by the information processing device through the established communication using a communication method other than the NFC method, and attempts to communicate with the identified printer using the different communication method; and a notification means that notifies of an error regarding second data that is determined to not satisfy the specified conditions received by the information processing device through the established communication. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, processing based on information read from NFC can be switched depending on the application screen, allowing the user to smoothly operate the MFP. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an NFC tag. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a mobile terminal. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen flow according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing a process on a preview screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing processing other than a preview screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a process on a device search screen according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing a process when a communication in progress screen is displayed according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0011] First Embodiment [System Configuration] An example of the configuration of a communication system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The communication system according to this embodiment includes a mobile terminal 100, an MFP 110, an NFC tag 111, and an access point 120.

[0012] The MFP 110 executes wireless communication such as wireless LAN with the access point 120. Note that the communication between the access point 120 and the MFP 110 may be wired communication using a LAN cable or the like. In addition, in this embodiment, the MFP is taken as an example of a device that communicates with the mobile terminal 100, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other devices such as a single-function network printer may also be used.

[0013] Mobile terminal 100 is capable of wireless communication such as a wireless LAN. When a user inputs information such as the SSID and security key of access point 120 into mobile terminal 100, mobile terminal 100 connects to access point 120, and mobile terminal 100 can communicate with MFP 110 via access point 120. Mobile terminal 100 can transmit a print job to an external device such as MFP 110 via access point 120. MFP 110 that receives the print job executes printing based on the print job.

[0014] Moreover, the mobile terminal 100 and the MFP 110 can execute near field communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication). In this embodiment, the MFP 110 includes an NFC tag 111, and the NFC tag 111 stores information for connecting to the access point 120 (SSID and security key of the access point 120). The mobile terminal 100 can acquire information of the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110 using NFC, and connect to the access point 120 based on the acquired information. In this way, switching the connection to wireless communication such as wireless communication LAN using information acquired by near field communication such as NFC is called "handover". The handover eliminates the need for the user to input information for connecting to the access point 120 (SSID and security key of the access point 120) into the mobile terminal 100.

[0015] [Hardware configuration] An example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Note that, in this embodiment, the mobile terminal 100 is assumed to be a device such as a smartphone or a tablet PC, but may be any other device as long as it is an information processing device capable of performing wireless communication.

[0016] The CPU 201 reads out a control program stored in the ROM 202 and executes various processes for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. The ROM 202 is a non-volatile storage unit and stores the control program. The RAM 203 is a volatile storage unit and is used as a temporary storage area such as the main memory and work area of ​​the CPU 201. The HDD 204 stores various data such as photographs and electronic documents. The OS (Operating System) 311 and the MFP application 400 are also stored in the HDD 204. The RTC (Real Time Clock) 205 keeps track of time.

[0017] In the case of the mobile terminal 100, one CPU 201 executes each process shown in the flowcharts described later, but other configurations are also possible. For example, multiple CPUs may cooperate to execute each process shown in the flowcharts described later.

[0018] Operation panel 206 has a touch panel function capable of detecting a user's touch operation, and displays various screens provided by OS 411 and MFP application 400. A user can input a desired operation instruction to mobile terminal 100 by performing a touch operation on operation panel 206. Note that mobile terminal 100 is provided with a hardware key (not shown), and the user may input an operation instruction to mobile terminal 100 using this hardware key.

[0019] The speaker 207 and microphone 208 are used for audio purposes, such as when the user makes a call to another mobile terminal or a landline phone. The camera 209 captures images in response to an image capture instruction from the user. The photos (images) captured by the camera 209 are stored in a predetermined area of ​​the HDD 204.

[0020] The near field communication unit 210 executes near field communication such as NFC with the NFC tag 111 provided in the MFP 110. When the user brings the mobile terminal 100 close to the NFC tag 111, near field communication is established between the near field communication unit 210 and the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110, and the near field communication unit 210 acquires information of the NFC tag 111. Note that the near field communication executed by the near field communication unit 210 is not limited to NFC, and may be a communication method of another short-range communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0021] The wireless communication unit 211 executes wireless communication such as a wireless communication LAN. In the case of the mobile terminal 100, by using handover, the user can realize wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 211 with a simple operation. Specifically, by using connection information (the SSID and security key of the access point 120) acquired by the near field communication unit 210 from the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110, the wireless communication unit 211 can connect to the access point 120.

[0022] An example of the hardware configuration of the NFC tag 111 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The antenna 301 is connected to the controller 302. The antenna 301 is supplied with power by electromagnetic induction from the near-field communication unit 210 of the mobile terminal 100, and uses the power as the operating power of the controller 302. In addition, the antenna 301 operates as an antenna for wireless communication from the near-field communication unit 210. The controller 302 communicates with the mobile terminal 100 via the antenna 301. In addition, the controller 302 performs a process of reading and writing a read / write instruction by communication to the memory 303. Through this read / write process, the controller 302 can hold information of the MFP 110, such as a MAC address, and notify an external device of the information via the antenna 301 as necessary.

[0023] [Software configuration] An example of the software configuration of the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of software that is realized when the CPU 201 reads out a control program stored in the ROM 202 or HDD 204.

[0024] The OS 411 is software for controlling the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100. Various applications, including the MFP application 400, can be installed in the mobile terminal 100. The OS 411 exchanges information with these applications, and executes various processes according to instructions received from the applications. For example, the OS 411 changes the screen displayed on the operation panel 206, and executes wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 211.

[0025] The MFP application 400 is an application installed in the mobile terminal 100. A user can perform operations and instructions such as printing and scanning on the MFP 110 from the MFP application 400. It is assumed that various applications can be installed in the mobile terminal 100 in addition to the MFP application 400, but a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0026] Each component constituting the MFP application 400 will be described in more detail. The screen control unit 401 controls the screen to be displayed on the operation panel 206 via the OS 411. The screen control unit 401 displays the screen shown in FIG. 5 on the operation panel 206. The screen control unit 401 also determines an operation instruction input by a user via the operation panel 206. The communication unit 402 controls near field communication by the near field communication unit 210 and wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 211 via the OS 411. The wireless communication LAN setting change unit 403 changes the wireless communication LAN setting related to wireless communication of the mobile terminal 100 via the OS 411.

[0027] A print job generating unit 405 generates a print job. The print job generated by the print job generating unit 405 is transmitted to the MFP 110 by the wireless communication unit 211, and then printing is executed in accordance with the print job on the MFP 110 side. A storage unit 406 temporarily stores various information.

[0028] The scan job control unit 407 issues a scan instruction to the MFP 110 via the wireless communication unit 211, and displays the scan data received from the MFP 110 via the screen control unit 401. When the scan data is to be saved, the scan job control unit 407 stores it in the storage unit 406. The stored scan data is managed by the document management unit 408.

[0029] The MFP search unit 409 transmits a search command onto the network via the wireless communication unit 211, and lists relevant MFPs from the received response data. The MFP selection unit 410 selects an MFP to be operated from the list of searched MFPs, and stores the selected MFP in the storage unit 406. The MFP selection unit 410 also stores a list of MFPs that have been selected in the past.

[0030] [Screen transition] Next, an overview of the print function and screen transitions realized by the MFP application 400 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Each screen shown in Fig. 5 is displayed on the operation panel 206 by the screen control unit 401 of the MFP application 400.

[0031] The HOME screen 501 is the screen that is first displayed when the MFP application 400 is started. A DeviceBMP is arranged on the HOME screen 501, and the currently selected MFP is displayed. In addition, buttons corresponding to each function are displayed on the HOME screen 501. When the Search button is selected, the screen transitions to an MFP selection screen 502, and the MFP selected on the MFP selection screen 502 is displayed in the DeviceBMP.

[0032] When the Print button is selected, the screen transitions to a print type selection screen 504, where operations for the currently selected MFP are performed. When the Scan button is selected, the screen transitions to a scan setting screen (not shown), where scan settings, execution, data preview, etc. are possible. When the Document button is selected, the screen transitions to a document selection screen (not shown), where image data stored by the application can be managed (moved, deleted, previewed).

[0033] A list of MFPs registered in the MFP application 400 is displayed on the MFP selection screen 502. When an MFP is selected from the list, the screen transitions to a HOME screen 501, and the selected MFP is displayed in the DeviceBMP. When the search button is selected on the MFP selection screen 502, the screen transitions to a search screen 503.

[0034] A search for MFPs is executed on the search screen 503, and when the search is completed, a list of the searched MFPs is displayed. When an MFP is selected from the list of searched MFPs, the screen transitions to the MFP selection screen 502, and the MFP is added to the list of MFPs on the MFP selection screen 502.

[0035] A print type selection screen 504 displays a selectable type of printing. Here, "photo," "camera," and "Web" are shown as print types, but are not limited to these. If photo is selected, the screen transitions to an image selection screen 505. If camera is selected, the screen transitions to a shooting screen (not shown), and the captured image is printed. If Web is selected, a Web browse screen (not shown) is displayed. If a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is entered on the Web browse screen, the Web page of the entered URL is displayed, and the displayed Web page is printed.

[0036] Image selection screen 505 is a screen that displays a list of photos stored in HDD 204 of mobile terminal 100. Image selection screen 505 shows, as an example, a case in which six photos, photos PT1 to PT6, are displayed. On image selection screen 505, the user selects a photo that he or she wishes to print.

[0037] When a photo is selected on image selection screen 505, preview screen 506 is displayed. Preview screen 506 displays a preview of the selected image, and the selected photo is displayed large, allowing the user to check the selected photo. When the Print Start button is selected on preview screen 506, printing is instructed and the screen transitions to printing screen 507. Printing screen 507 is displayed during printing, and when printing is completed, the screen returns to image selection screen 505.

[0038] When the user brings the mobile terminal 100 close to the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110 while the preview screen 506 is displayed, the near field communication unit 210 reads information stored in the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110. In the present embodiment, the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110 stores connection information for the wireless communication unit 211 to perform wireless communication with the MFP 110. The connection information here corresponds to the SSID of the access point 120, a security key for connecting to the access point 120, and the IP address of the MFP 110. Using the connection information acquired by the near field communication unit 210 reading the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110, the wireless communication unit 211 can perform wireless communication with the MFP 110 and execute printing.

[0039] If the mobile terminal 100 is brought close to the NFC tag 111 while a screen other than the preview screen 506 is displayed, printing will fail because the image data to be printed has not been finalized on some screens. As a result, the process may end in an error.

[0040] Therefore, when the mobile terminal 100 is brought close to the NFC tag 111 of the MFP 110 (in other words, when the near-field communication unit 210 acquires the connection information from the NFC tag 111), if the preview screen is displayed, the print process is executed based on the connection information. On the other hand, if the preview screen is not displayed, only switching to wireless LAN communication (handover) and selection of the MFP (pairing) are performed. This makes it possible to print based on the connection information acquired from the NFC tag 111 only when printing is possible.

[0041] [Processing flow] The process executed when MFP application 400 performs an NFC touch while the preview screen is displayed will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 6 and 7. Each step shown in the flowchart of Figure 6 is realized by CPU 201 of mobile terminal 100 expanding a control program stored in a memory such as ROM 202 into RAM 203 and executing it.

[0042] In S601, the CPU 201 uses the near field communication unit 210 to determine whether or not the operator of the mobile terminal 100 has touched the NFC tag 111. If touched (YES in S601), the process proceeds to S602. If not touched (NO in S601), the process waits until touched.

[0043] In S602, the CPU 201 uses the near field communication unit 210 to read the data recorded in the touched NFC tag 111.

[0044] In S603, CPU 201 checks whether the format read in S602 is normal. If the written data is invalid or reading has failed and the format is invalid (NO in S603), CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on operation panel 206 in S604. Then, this processing flow ends. On the other hand, if the format is normal (YES in S603), the process proceeds to S605.

[0045] In S605, CPU 201 determines whether the screen of MFP application 400 is a preview screen. If it is a preview screen (YES in S605), the process proceeds to S607, and if it is not (NO in S605), the process proceeds to S606. In S606, CPU 201 performs the operation for the screen other than the preview screen. The operation for the screen other than the preview screen will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0046] In S607, the CPU 201 uses the wireless communication unit 211 to inquire of the MFP connected via the access point 120 about the presence of the MFP by using a broadcast packet.

[0047] In S608, CPU 201 receives a response packet from the MFP via wireless communication unit 211. CPU 201 then queries the MFP for the MAC address of the MFP using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and receives a response. Note that CPU 201 obtained the MAC address of the MFP via SNMP, but this is not limited to this. For example, it may search the MAC address table (ARP table) of OS 411 and obtain the corresponding MAC address from the IP address indicated in the response packet.

[0048] In S609, the CPU 201 compares the MAC address written on the NFC tag 111 read in S602 with the MAC address acquired in S608. If they match (YES in S609), the process proceeds to S610. If they do not match (NO in S609), the process proceeds to S612.

[0049] In S610, the CPU 201 sets the IP address of the MFP that transmitted the response in S608 as the IP address of the MFP 110 to which the NFC tag 111 is attached. Then, the CPU 201 determines that IP address as the print destination.

[0050] In S611, CPU 201 performs print processing for the IP address determined in S610. Specifically, CPU 201 sets the file determined based on the file selection operation (not shown) by the operator as the print target, and transmits a print processing request to MFP 110 corresponding to the IP address of S610.

[0051] In S612, CPU 201 calculates the time elapsed since S607, and determines whether it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 10 seconds or more). If it exceeds the predetermined value (YES in S612), a timeout occurs, and the process proceeds to S613. If it does not exceed the predetermined value (NO in S612), the process returns to S608.

[0052] In S613, the CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on the operation panel 206 that the MFP written in the NFC tag 111 could not be found. Then, this processing flow ends.

[0053] The process when the MFP application 400 screen is not a preview screen will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 7. This process flow corresponds to S606 in Fig. 6.

[0054] In S701, the CPU 201 stores the MAC address read in S602 in the HDD 204. The CPU 201 also sets the value of the handover pairing flag to "ON" and stores it in the HDD 204. In this embodiment, the handover pairing flag indicates whether or not to establish communication with the device (target) that is the connection destination. If the value of this flag is "ON", a connection is made to the detected connection destination. In S702, the CPU 201 restarts the MFP application 400 to reset the processing at that time, and transitions the screen of the MFP application 400 to the HOME screen 501. Note that if the processing can be reset, the MFP application 400 may be configured to transition to the HOME screen 501 without restarting it.

[0055] In S703, the CPU 201 determines whether the value of the handover pairing flag stored in the HDD 204 is "ON". If the value of the handover pairing flag is "OFF" (NO in S703), the CPU 201 performs normal processing of the HOME screen 501. Note that the details here are not particularly limited, so a detailed description will be omitted. After that, this processing flow ends. If the value of the handover pairing flag is "ON" (YES in S703), the process proceeds to S704.

[0056] In S704, the CPU 201 reads the MAC address stored in S701. In S705, the CPU 201 uses the wireless communication unit 211 to inquire of the MFP connected to the access point 120 about the presence of the MFP by using a broadcast packet.

[0057] In S706, CPU 201 receives a response packet from the MFP via wireless communication unit 211. CPU 201 then queries the MFP for the MAC address of the MFP using SNMP and receives the response. Note that CPU 201 obtained the MAC address of the MFP via SNMP, but this is not limiting, and for example, the MAC address may be obtained by searching a MAC address table (ARP table) of OS 411.

[0058] In S707, the CPU 201 compares the MAC address written on the NFC tag 111 read in S704 with the MAC address acquired in S706. If they match (YES in S707), the process proceeds to S708. If they do not match (NO in S707), the process proceeds to S709.

[0059] In S708, the CPU 201 sets the IP address of the MFP that transmitted the response in S706 as the IP address of the MFP 110 to which the NFC tag 111 is attached. Then, the CPU 201 determines that IP address as the connection destination.

[0060] In S709, CPU 201 calculates the elapsed time from S705, and determines whether it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 10 seconds or more). If it exceeds the predetermined value (YES in S709), a timeout occurs, and the process proceeds to S710. If it does not exceed the predetermined value (NO in S709), the process returns to S706.

[0061] In S710, the CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on the operation panel 206 that the MFP written in the NFC tag 111 could not be found. Then, this processing flow ends.

[0062] [effect] As described above, if the MFP application is displaying an image preview screen when the mobile terminal is brought close to the NFC tag of the MFP, printing is performed; if any other screen is displayed, only handover and pairing are performed.

[0063] Therefore, when the preview is being displayed, the user can easily print, and when not on the preview screen, the user can select the MFP by touching the NFC without worrying about which screen is being displayed, allowing subsequent MFP operations to be carried out smoothly.

[0064] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the preview screen of the MFP application screen is used as an example of the predetermined screen, but the second embodiment describes the process when a screen other than this screen is displayed. Specifically, if an NFC touch is performed while the MFP search screen is displayed, the search may be terminated and the MFP that was NFC touched may be selected. Examples of MFP search screens include an MFP selection screen 502 and a search screen 503 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0065] [Processing flow] The process executed when an NFC touch is performed while MFP application 400 is displaying the MFP search screen will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. Each step shown in the flowchart in Fig. 8 is realized by CPU 201 of mobile terminal 100 expanding a control program stored in a memory such as ROM 202 into RAM 203 and executing the program.

[0066] In S801, the CPU 201 uses the near-field wireless communication unit 210 to determine whether or not the operator of the mobile terminal 100 has touched the NFC tag 111. If it has been touched (YES in S801), the process proceeds to S802. If it has not been touched (NO in S801), the process waits until it is touched.

[0067] In S802, the CPU 201 uses the near field communication unit 210 to read the data recorded in the touched NFC tag 111.

[0068] In S803, CPU 201 checks whether the format read in S802 is normal. If the written data is invalid or reading has failed and the format is invalid (NO in S803), CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on operation panel 206 in S804. Then, this processing flow ends. On the other hand, if the format is normal (YES in S803), CPU 201 proceeds to S805.

[0069] In S805, CPU 201 determines whether the screen of MFP application 400 is an MFP search screen. If it is an MFP search screen (YES in S805), proceed to S807, otherwise (NO in S805), proceed to S806. In S806, CPU 201 performs the operation for the case other than the MFP search screen. After that, this processing flow ends.

[0070] In S807, CPU 201 determines whether the screen of MFP application 400 is the search screen 503. If it is the MFP searching screen (YES in S807), the process proceeds to S808, and if it is the MFP list screen (NO in S807), the process proceeds to S809.

[0071] In S808, the CPU 201 stops the process of searching. In S809, the CPU 201 uses the wireless communication unit 211 to inquire of the MFP connected via the access point 120 about the presence of the MFP by using a broadcast packet.

[0072] In S810, CPU 201 receives a response packet from the MFP via wireless communication unit 211. CPU 201 then queries the MFP for the MAC address of the MFP using SNMP and receives the response. Note that CPU 201 obtained the MAC address of the MFP via SNMP, but this is not limiting, and for example, the MAC address may be obtained by searching a MAC address table (ARP table) of OS 411.

[0073] In S811, the CPU 201 compares the MAC address written on the NFC tag 111 read in S802 with the MAC address acquired in S810. If they match (YES in S811), the process proceeds to S812. If they do not match (NO in S811), the process proceeds to S813.

[0074] In step S812, the CPU 201 sets the IP address of the MFP that transmitted the response in step S6808 as the IP address of the MFP 110 to which the NFC tag 111 is attached. Then, the CPU 201 determines that IP address as the connection destination.

[0075] In S813, the CPU 201 returns the screen of the MFP application 400 to the MFP selection screen 502. Then, this processing flow ends.

[0076] In S814, CPU 201 calculates the time elapsed since S809, and determines whether it is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 10 seconds or more). If it exceeds the predetermined value (YES in S814), a timeout occurs, and the process proceeds to S815. If it does not exceed the predetermined value (NO in S814), the process returns to S810.

[0077] In S815, the CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on the operation panel 206 that the MFP written in the NFC tag 111 could not be found. Then, this processing flow ends.

[0078] [effect] As described above, if the MFP application is displaying the MFP search screen when the mobile terminal is brought close to the NFC tag of the MFP, the MFP can be selected immediately without waiting for the search process to be completed. This allows the user to shorten the search time and select the desired MFP from the MFP list without hesitation.

[0079] <Third embodiment> The embodiment shows a case where an NFC touch is performed when an MFP application screen is displaying a screen in which communication with the MFP is in progress, such as scanning or printing. If an NFC touch is performed in this state, pairing will be performed, and therefore pairing does not need to be performed during communication.

[0080] [Processing flow] The process executed when an NFC touch is performed while the MFP application 400 is displaying a print job sending screen will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 9. Each step shown in the flowchart in Fig. 9 is realized by the CPU 201 of the mobile terminal 100 expanding a control program stored in a memory such as ROM 202 into the RAM 203 and executing the program.

[0081] In S901, the CPU 201 uses the near-field wireless communication unit 210 to determine whether or not the operator of the mobile terminal 100 has touched the NFC tag 111. If it has been touched (YES in S901), the process proceeds to S902. If it has not been touched (NO in S901), the process waits until it is touched.

[0082] In S902, the CPU 201 uses the near field communication unit 210 to read the data recorded in the touched NFC tag 111.

[0083] In S903, CPU 201 checks whether the format read in S902 is normal. If the written data is invalid or reading has failed and the format is invalid (NO in S903), CPU 201 notifies the operator by displaying an error message (not shown) on operation panel 206 in S904. Then, this processing flow ends. On the other hand, if the format is normal (YES in S903), the process proceeds to S905.

[0084] In S905, the CPU 201 determines whether the screen of the MFP application 400 is a communication in progress screen. If it is a communication in progress screen (YES in S905), the process proceeds to S907. If it is not a communication in progress screen (NO in S905), the process proceeds to S906. In S906, the CPU 201 performs the operation when the screen is other than a communication in progress screen. Thereafter, this processing flow ends.

[0085] In step S907, the CPU 201 displays a message (not shown) indicating that pairing has not been achieved, and then ends this processing flow.

[0086] [effect] As described above, if the MFP application is displaying a screen indicating communication is in progress when the mobile terminal is brought close to the NFC tag of the MFP, no NFC processing is performed. This prevents the user from unintentionally interrupting a job in progress.

[0087] <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by executing the following process: That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the programs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100 Mobile terminal, 110 MFP, 111 NFC tag, 120 Access point, 201 CPU, 202 ROM, 203 RAM, 204 HDD, 205 RTC, 206 Operation panel, 210 Near field communication unit, 211 Wireless communication unit, 400 MFP application

Claims

[Claim 1] An application installed on an information processing device having a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface and capable of establishing communication with a printer via the NFC interface in an NFC system, a control means for specifying the printer identified by the first data determined to satisfy a predetermined condition received by the information processing device through the established communication, using a communication method different from the NFC method, and for attempting to communicate with the specified printer using the different communication method; a notification means for notifying an error regarding the second data received by the information processing device through the established communication and determined not to satisfy the predetermined condition; The application causes the information processing device to function as a

Images