Information processing device, print system, and program

Abstract

To improve a user's convenience in printing contents suitable for the user's print environment.SOLUTION: An information processing device 1 comprises a control unit 10, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, and a communication unit 14. The control unit 10 displays a contents selection image in which print object contents are selected on the display unit 12, and determines whether or not the print object contents can be printed by a second printer different from a first printer which can print the print object contents, about the print object contents selected from the operation unit 13. The control unit 10, when the print object contents can be printed by the second printer, displays a first device selection image in which one is selected from among the first and second printer, on the display unit 12, as a printer which prints the print object contents. The control unit 10 transmits a print job about the print object contents via the communication unit 14, to the printer selected from the operation unit 13 via the first device selection image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a printing system, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for specifying content stored in a web server from a terminal device such as a smartphone and printing a document including the content.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 does not consider grasping the user's printing environment from the web server. If the user's printing environment cannot be grasped from the web server, it may result in printing with a printing device that is not very suitable for the web content, or presenting web content that cannot be printed by the user's printing device. As a result, for the user, there may be a need to redo user operations such as content selection operations and printing device selection operations.

[0005] Therefore, when printing content suitable for the user's printing environment, it is desired to develop a technology that can improve the user's convenience.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a display unit, an operation unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The control unit causes the display unit to display a content selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting print target content. For the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image, it is determined whether the print target content can be printed by a second printing apparatus, which is a printing apparatus different from a first printing apparatus capable of printing the print target content. When the print target content can be printed by the second printing apparatus, a first apparatus selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting one from the first printing apparatus and the second printing apparatus as the printing apparatus for printing the print target content, is caused to be displayed on the display unit. A print job for the print target content is transmitted via the communication unit to the printing apparatus selected from the operation unit via the first apparatus selection image.

[0007] An information processing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a display unit, an operation unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. The control unit detects, as candidate printing apparatuses, printing apparatuses capable of transmitting print jobs from a network connected via the communication unit, executes a generation process of generating access information indicating an access destination of a server apparatus storing print target content, including candidate parameters, which are parameters indicating the detected candidate printing apparatuses, and accesses the server apparatus via the communication unit based on the access information.

[0008] A printing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an information processing apparatus including a display unit, an operation unit, a communication unit, and a control unit, a first printing apparatus, and a second printing apparatus. The control unit causes the display unit to display a content selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting print target content. For the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image, when printing of the print target content is possible with the first printing apparatus, it is determined whether the print target content can be printed with the second printing apparatus. When the print target content can be printed with the second printing apparatus, a first device selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting one of the first printing apparatus and the second printing apparatus as the printing apparatus for printing the print target content, is caused to be displayed on the display unit. A print job for the print target content is transmitted via the communication unit to the printing apparatus selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image.

[0009] A program according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer including a display unit, an operation unit, and a communication unit to display a content selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting print target content, on the display unit. For the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image, it is determined whether the print target content can be printed with a second printing apparatus, which is a printing apparatus different from a first printing apparatus with which printing of the print target content is possible. When the print target content can be printed with the second printing apparatus, a first device selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting one of the first printing apparatus and the second printing apparatus as the printing apparatus for printing the print target content, is caused to be displayed on the display unit. A process for transmitting a print job for the print target content via the communication unit to the printing apparatus selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image is executed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that each figure is merely an example for explaining the embodiments of the present invention. Also, not all of the components described in the embodiments of the present invention are essential components of the present invention.

[0012] (Embodiment) [Configuration of System] A printing system including an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of such a printing system.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the printing system 100 according to the present embodiment can include an information processing apparatus 1, a server apparatus 2, a first printing apparatus 3a, and a second printing apparatus 3b. The printing system 100 can connect the information processing apparatus 1, the server apparatus 2, the first printing apparatus 3a, and the second printing apparatus 3b via a network N.

[0014] The information processing device 1 can be a device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet terminal.

[0015] The server device 2 is a server computer that stores contents such as printable contents 21a, 21b, etc. and provides the contents to the information processing device 1. The server device 2 can have, for example, the function of a Web server.

[0016] The printing system 100 is configured to be able to print the contents stored in the server device 2 by a user operation from the information processing device 1 using the first printing device 3a or the second printing device 3b. In particular, the printing system 100 is configured to be able to print contents suitable for the printing environment of the user of the information processing device 1. Hereinafter, configuration examples of the information processing device 1 and the server device 2 will be described in detail. Note that the details of the configuration example of the printing device will be omitted.

[0017] Any of the first printing device 3a, the second printing device 3b, and other printing devices to be described later can be a printer, a facsimile device, or a multifunction device having a plurality of functions including at least a printing function. Also, regardless of the printing method of each printing device, various printing methods such as an inkjet printing method and a laser printing method can be applied. Each printing device can also be referred to as an image forming device.

[0018] [Configuration of Information Processing Device 1] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 can include a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, and a communication unit 14.

[0019] The control unit 10 can include a display processing unit 10a, a determination unit 10b, and a printing processing unit 10c, which will be described later, in order to execute processes such as selection and printing of contents that can be provided by the server device 2.

[0020] The control unit 10 can be configured to include, for example, an arithmetic processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a working memory, and a storage device that stores control programs, parameters, and the like. The control unit 10 can also be configured as a SoC (System on a Chip). As can be seen from these examples, the control unit 10 can be configured to store a control program in an executable state. However, the control unit 10 can also be configured to store the control program as a circuit configuration like an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or configured as a dedicated circuit. The display processing unit 10a, the determination unit 10b, and the printing processing unit 10c can be implemented as the above programs. The above programs can include programs for realizing the functions of the display processing unit 10a, the determination unit 10b, and the printing processing unit 10c while the arithmetic processing unit cooperates with the storage unit 11, the display unit 12, the operation unit 13, and the communication unit 14. This program can also be referred to as application software. In particular, since this program is a program for performing printing processing, it can be referred to as printing application software.

[0021] The storage unit 11 is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or other memory. The storage unit 11 can store various data such as information indicating the printing environment in the acquired information processing device 1 and files used by the user. Note that the storage unit 11 may be a part of the storage device within the control unit 10. That is, the storage unit 11 can also be regarded as a part of the control unit 10.

[0022] The display unit 12 is a part for displaying a user interface image (UI image) for operating the information processing device 1, and is configured by, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence display. Note that the display unit 12 can also be configured to include a display and a drive circuit for driving the display.

[0023] The operation unit 13 is a part that receives operations by the user of the information processing apparatus 1, and can also be referred to as an operation reception unit. The operation unit 13 can be realized by, for example, any one or a plurality of physical buttons, a touch panel mounted on the display unit 12, a pointing device, and a keyboard. In a configuration where the operation unit 13 includes a touch panel, the display unit 12 and the touch panel can also be referred to as an operation panel of the information processing apparatus 1.

[0024] The communication unit 14 is a part that communicates wirelessly or wiredly with an external device via the network N in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark; the same shall apply hereinafter). The communication unit 14 can be configured with a communication interface capable of such communication.

[0025] Examples of such external devices include a server device 2, a first printing device 3a, a second printing device 3b, or a printing server device (not shown). This printing server device can be a server device that manages printing on the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b. Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, only a configuration in which the printing system 100 does not include a printing server device will be described, but the printing system may include a printing server device.

[0026] The detailed configuration of the control unit 10 will be described. The display processing unit 10a of the control unit 10 performs a process of causing the display unit 12 to display a UI image for selecting print target content. Hereinafter, this UI image will be referred to as a content selection image. In this content selection image, one content can be selected by the user as the print target content and is displayed from a list of contents.

[0027] Here, the first printing device 3a capable of printing the content to be printed may be, for example, a printing device selected by the user. For the user selection of the first printing device 3a, the display control unit 10a may cause the display unit 12 to display a UI image for selecting a printing device to be used from a list of available printing devices, and accept a selection operation by the user from the operation unit 13. As an example of this UI image, a device selection image, which is a UI image for selecting a printing device to be used from among candidate printing devices, will be described. Hereinafter, this device selection image will be referred to as the second device selection image.

[0028] The user selection of the first printing device 3a may be executed before the selection of the content to be printed, such as before the display of the content selection image, or may be executed after the selection of the content to be printed.

[0029] First, an example in which the user selection of the first printing device 3a is executed before the selection of the content to be printed will be described. In this case, the display control unit 10a treats the printing device selected from the operation unit 13 via the second device selection image for selecting a printing device to be used from among candidate printing devices as the first printing device 3a. Then, after a printing device to be used is selected via the second device selection image, the display control unit 10a causes the display unit 12 to display a content selection image.

[0030] In this case, the display control unit 10a can also acquire first device information, which is information about the first printing device 3a, and based on the first device information, cause the display unit 12 to display a content selection image. The information about the first printing device 3a can include, for example, at least one of the model name of the first printing device 3a and the corresponding code. Note that the model name can refer to the model number. Instead of the model name of the first printing device 3a, a part or all of the serial number of the first printing device 3a or the system of the first printing device 3a classified by the manufacturer of the first printing device 3a may be adopted. The display control unit 10a can also transmit the first device information to the server device 2 via the communication unit 14 and display a content selection image based on the list of contents returned from the server device 2 side.

[0031] In particular, the first device information can also include at least one of first medium information regarding a medium printable by the first printing device 3a and first ink information which is ink information regarding ink usable in the first printing device 3a. The medium printable by the first printing device 3a can refer to at least one of the type, size, etc. of the medium printable by the first printing device 3a. The type of the medium can refer to, for example, plain paper, printing paper, etc. The first ink information can be either information indicating that only black ink capable of monochrome printing is available or information indicating that a plurality of colors of ink capable of color printing are available, for example. In this case, the display control unit 10a can also display a content selection image based on the acquired first medium information and first ink information. That is, the display control unit 10a can also transmit the first medium information and first ink information to the server device 2 via the communication unit 14 and display a content selection image based on the list of contents returned from the server device 2 side.

[0032] Next, an example in which the user selection of the first printing device 3a is performed after the selection of the content to be printed will be described. In this case, the display control unit 10a causes the display unit 12 to display a content selection image based on the content list obtained by accessing the server device 2. Thereafter, after the content to be printed is selected via the content selection image, the display control unit 10a may cause the display unit 12 to display a second device selection image for selecting a printing device to be used from among the candidate printing devices. Then, the display control unit 10a may handle the printing device selected from the operation unit 13 via the second device selection image as the first printing device 3a.

[0033] Also, the first printing device 3a can be determined without depending on user selection. For example, the first printing device 3a capable of printing the content to be printed may be the printing device specified by default setting of the first printing device 3a. Alternatively, the first printing device 3a capable of printing the content to be printed may be a printing device for which it has been determined that the content to be printed can be printed by referring to the past printing history, etc.

[0034] The determination unit 10b determines whether the print target content selected from the operation unit 13 via the content selection image can be printed by a second printing device 3b different from the first printing device 3a capable of printing the print target content. The determination unit 10b passes the result of the determination thus made to the display processing unit 10a.

[0035] For example, the determination unit 10b acquires second device information which is information about the second printing device 3b, and determines whether the print target content can be printed by the second printing device 3b based on the second device information. In particular, the second device information can also include at least one of second medium information regarding a medium printable by the second printing device 3b and second ink information which is ink information regarding ink usable in the second printing device 3b. The medium printable by the second printing device 3b can refer to at least one of the type, size, etc. of the medium printable by the second printing device 3b. Similar to the first ink information, the second ink information can be either information indicating that only black ink capable of monochrome printing is available or information indicating that a plurality of colors of ink capable of color printing can be used, for example.

[0036] In this case, the determination unit 10b can also determine whether the print target content can be printed by the second printing device 3b based on the acquired second medium information and second ink information. The determination here can be a determination as to whether the second printing device 3b is more suitable than the first printing device 3a, such as whether the print target content can be printed more beautifully by using the second printing device 3b than when using the first printing device 3a. The second medium information and second ink information can be transmitted to the server device 2, and the determination can be made on the server device 2 side, and the result of the determination can be used as the result of the determination by the determination unit 10b.

[0037] Next, the processing after the determination by the determination unit 10b will be described. The display processing unit 10a that has received the determination result from the determination unit 10b causes the display unit 12 to display the first device selection image when the selected print target content is printable by the second printing device 3b. Here, the first device selection image refers to a UI image for selecting one of the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b as the printing device that prints the print target content. There may be a plurality of printing devices described as the second printing device 3b. In that case, the first device selection image is a UI image for selecting one from the first printing device 3a and those plurality of printing devices.

[0038] The print processing unit 10c transmits a print job for the print target content to the printing device selected from the operation unit 13 via the first device selection image via the communication unit 14, such as via the network N. Thereby, in the information processing apparatus 1, the content can be printed by an appropriate printing device.

[0039] Next, an example of the display processing of the first device selection image will be described. For the display of the first device selection image, the display processing unit 10a can be configured to execute, for example, the following detection processing, generation processing, and access processing.

[0040] The detection processing is a process of detecting, as candidate printing devices, printing devices to which the information processing apparatus 1 can transmit a print job from the network N connected via the communication unit 14. In this detection processing, for example, the printing devices in the network N are called by broadcast and a response is obtained to detect printing devices to which the information processing apparatus 1 can transmit a print job. By this detection processing, for example, the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b are detected. Note that the detection processing can also be referred to as search processing since it searches for candidate printing devices.

[0041] The generation process is a process of generating access information indicating the access destination of the server device storing the content to be printed. Here, it is assumed that this server device is server device 2 for explanation. The access destination of server device 2 storing the content to be printed may simply be the access destination of the content discovered by the user through a search on the Web. And in this generation process, the access information is generated to include a first parameter which is a parameter indicating the candidate printing device detected in the detection process. Hereinafter, the first parameter is referred to as a candidate parameter. The information to be included in the candidate parameter includes the above-mentioned second device information. The use of the candidate parameter will be described later. The access information can be, for example, a URI such as a URL or a URN. Note that URL is the abbreviation of Uniform Resource Locator. URN is the abbreviation of Uniform Resource Name. URI is the abbreviation of Uniform Resource Identifier. Hereinafter, an example where the access information is a URL will be given for explanation. The candidate parameter can be included in the URL as a URL parameter.

[0042] The access process is a process of accessing server device 2 via communication unit 14 based on the above access information. Since the access information includes the access destination and the candidate parameter, in this access process, an access based on the candidate parameter is also made. The candidate parameter can be used to present to the user the content printable by the candidate printing device. That is, server device 2 that has received this access information can propose to information processing device 1 the content printable by candidate printing devices such as first printing device 3a and second printing device 3b based on the candidate parameter. Also, the candidate parameter may be used, for example, to propose using second printing device 3b instead of first printing device 3a. That is, server device 2 that has received this access information can also propose to information processing device 1 information indicating second printing device 3b capable of printing the content to be printed instead of first printing device 3a based on the candidate parameter.

[0043] In addition, the above detection process can also be used when the user selects a printing device that they wish to use. That is, the display processing unit 10a can also perform a process of causing the display unit 12 to display a second device selection image that includes a list of the detected printing devices and from which one printing device is selected from the operation unit 13. The second device selection image in this case is a UI image for selecting the printing device that the user wishes to use from among the candidate printing devices via the operation unit 13. Then, the display processing unit 10a may select the printing device selected from the operation unit 13 via the second device selection image as the first printing device 3a that is the printing device for printing the print target content.

[0044] Also, when the above detection process is used for selecting a printing device that the user wishes to use as described above, the above generation process may generate access information including candidate parameters and second parameters as access information. Hereinafter, the second parameter is referred to as a desired parameter. The desired parameter is a parameter indicating the first printing device 3a that is the printing device that the user wishes to use. Information to be included in the desired parameter includes the above-described first device information. In the access process in this case, access will also be made based on the candidate parameters and the desired parameters. The desired parameter can also be included in the URL as a URL parameter.

[0045] As will be described later, the server device 2 in this example can be configured to be able to extract or sort the content printable by the first printing device 3a selected by the user operation from the operation unit 13 based on the desired parameter. Sorting includes extracting the content printable by the first printing device 3a. The sorting may be, for example, sorting in the order recommended by the server device 2 side. More specifically, the server device 2 may sort in the order in which the first printing device 3a can print more beautifully even if it is a different version of the same original image.

[0046] Then, the display processing unit 10a acquires, via the communication unit 14, the content extracted or sorted by the server device 2 based on the desired parameters. Then, the display processing unit 10a may cause the display unit 12 to display a content selection image. The content selection image in this case is a UI image for selecting print target content from the acquired content via the operation unit 13. If the server device 2 has performed sorting, this content selection image will include a list of contents reflecting the result of the sorting. The user can select the print target content with the operation unit 13 while viewing the content selection image including the content thus acquired.

[0047] In addition, the display processing unit 10a can also cause the display unit 12 to display a device selection image, which is a UI image for selecting, via the operation unit 13, the printing device proposed by the server device 2 as the printing device for printing the print target content, based on the candidate parameters. Hereinafter, this device selection image is referred to as the third device selection image. In the third device selection image, the printing device proposed by the server device 2 is included so that it can be selected.

[0048] It can be said that the third device selection image corresponds to an example of the first device selection image. Or, it can be said that the first device selection image corresponds to an example of the third device selection image. The printing processing unit 10c transmits a print job for the print target content to the printing device selected from the operation unit 13 via the third device selection image, via the communication unit 14, such as via the network N.

[0049] [Configuration of Server Device 2] As shown in FIG. 1, the server device 2 can include a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, and a communication unit 24.

[0050] The control unit 20 can include a determination unit 20a, an extraction unit 20b, and a transmission processing unit 20c, which will be described later, in order to cause the information processing device 1 to execute processes such as selection of content and a printing device.

[0051] Similar to control unit 10, control unit 20 can be configured to include, for example, an arithmetic processing unit, a working memory, and a storage device that stores control programs, parameters, and the like. Control unit 20 can also be configured as a SoC. As can be seen from these examples, control unit 20 can be configured to store a control program in an executable state. However, control unit 20 can also be configured to store a control program as a circuit configuration like an FPGA, or configured as a dedicated circuit. Determination unit 20a, extraction unit 20b, and transmission processing unit 20c can be implemented as the above program. The above program can include a program for realizing the functions of determination unit 20a, extraction unit 20b, and transmission processing unit 20c while the arithmetic processing unit cooperates with storage unit 21 and communication unit 24.

[0052] Similar to storage unit 11, storage unit 21 is, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or other memory. Note that storage unit 21 may be a part of the storage device within control unit 20. That is, storage unit 21 can also be regarded as a part of control unit 20.

[0053] Storage unit 21 can store various data such as contents 21a, 21b, etc. that can be provided to information processing device 1 as printing targets. Here, only two contents 21a, 21b are illustrated for convenience, but of course, storage unit 21 can store three or more contents.

[0054] In addition, the various data stored in storage unit 21 preferably includes a table in which content information, which is information regarding each content, and information regarding printing devices of various types or models are associated so that a printing device that can appropriately print each content can be determined. The content information may include one or more of various information such as the resolution of the target content, the number of colors used, and information indicating a content of the same original image as that content.

[0055] The communication unit 24 is a part that communicates wirelessly or wired with an external device via the network N in accordance with a predetermined communication standard such as Wi-Fi. The communication unit 24 can be configured with a communication interface capable of such communication. Examples of such external devices include the information processing device 1, the first printing device 3a, the second printing device 3b, or a printing server device (not shown).

[0056] The detailed configuration of the control unit 20 will be described. The server device 2 is the server device of the access destination indicated by the access information generated in the generation process in the information processing device 1. And the control unit 20 receives the candidate parameter included in this access information, or the candidate parameter and the desired parameter, via the communication unit 24. As described above, the candidate parameter is a parameter indicating the candidate printing device detected in the detection process, and the desired parameter is a parameter indicating the first printing device 3a which is the printing device that the user desires to use. Hereinafter, an example in which both the candidate parameter and the desired parameter are included in the access information will be described.

[0057] The determination unit 20a extracts the candidate parameter and the desired parameter from the received access information. And the determination unit 20a determines the first printing device 3a which is the printing device that the user desires to use, by referring to the above table or the like, from the extracted desired parameter. Also, the determination unit 20a determines the candidate printing device that can execute printing in the printing environment of the information processing device 1, by referring to the above table or the like, from the extracted candidate parameter. The description will be made on the assumption that the second printing device 3b is included in the candidate printing device. In this example, the candidate printing devices will include the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b.

[0058] The extraction unit 20b extracts the content printable by the first printing device 3a from the content 21a, 21b, etc. stored in the storage unit 21 based on the desired parameters. For example, it is possible to extract the content 21a, 21b, or only the content 21a. The extraction unit 20b can extract or sort the content printable by the first printing device 3a based on, for example, the first medium information and the first ink information included in the desired parameters. When performing this extraction, the extraction unit 20b can also extract including the version differences of the content printable by the first printing device 3a. The sorting can be, for example, sorting in the order recommended by the server device 2 side. More specifically, the extraction unit 20b can sort in the order in which the first printing device 3a can print more beautifully even for version differences of the same original image. In addition, when the access destination indicated by the access information is already the access destination specified up to the content, the extraction unit 20b can also extract the content printable by the first printing device 3a including the version differences of the specified content.

[0059] Furthermore, the determination unit 20a obtains, for the extracted content, information indicating the content selected via the content selection image from the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 24, and determines the content as the content to be printed. Then, the determination unit 20a determines whether the content to be printed is printable by a candidate printing device other than the first printing device 3a based on the candidate parameters by referring to the above-described table. As an example of this candidate printing device, the second printing device 3b will be described. The determination unit 20a can determine whether the content to be printed is printable by the second printing device 3b by referring to the above-described table based on, for example, the second medium information and the second ink information included in the candidate parameters. This determination may be a determination as to whether the second printing device 3b is more suitable than or equal to the first printing device 3a, such as whether the content to be printed can be printed more beautifully by using the second printing device 3b than by using the first printing device 3a.

[0060] The transmission processing unit 20c can transmit the determination result of the candidate printing device to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 24. Thereby, the information processing device 1 can display the second device selection image described above.

[0061] Also, the transmission processing unit 20c transmits the extracted or sorted content, or the address for the information processing device 1 to display such content, to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 24. Thereby, the information processing device 1 can display the content selection image described above.

[0062] Also, the transmission processing unit 20c can transmit the result of determining whether the print target content is printable by the second printing device 3b to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 24. Alternatively, as the result of determining whether the print target content is printable by the second printing device 3b, the transmission processing unit 20c can transmit information recommending printing by the second printing device 3b only when it is printable, to the information processing device 1 via the communication unit 24. This information recommending printing refers to information indicating the printing device proposed as the printing device for printing the print target content. Thereby, the information processing device 1 can display the first device selection image or the third device selection image described above.

[0063] [Example of Printing Process] An example of the printing process executed in the printing system 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of such a printing process. FIGS. 3 to 5 are diagrams showing an example of a series of UI images displayed on the information processing device 1 in the printing process of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an alternative example of the UI image of FIG. 5.

[0064] Hereinafter, in the information processing apparatus 1, the display processing unit 10a, the determination unit 10b, and the print processing unit 10c will be described as being incorporated so as to be executable as one print application software. Hereinafter, the print application software will be simply referred to as the print app. Also, hereinafter, an example in which the server device 2 is a Web server will be described. Further, hereinafter, an example in which the user selects the print target content after selecting the printing device will be given.

[0065] First, the print app searches for printing devices that can be used within the network N and causes the list of printing devices to be displayed on the display unit 12 (step S1). As described above, this search is executed, for example, by broadcasting a call to the printing devices within the network N and obtaining a response therefrom. Here, an example will be given in which the list of printing devices obtained as a result of the search consists of the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b. In step S1, the list of printing devices can be displayed on the display unit 12, for example, like the UI image 30 shown in FIG. 3.

[0066] The UI image 30 is an example of a second device selection image. The UI image 30 includes a radio button group 31 consisting of radio buttons associated with each of the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b, together with a list of the names of the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b. Also, the UI image 30 includes an OK button 32 and a cancel button 33.

[0067] Next, the printing application receives a user selection of a printing device from the UI image 30 (step S2). The user can turn on the radio button of the printing device they want to use from among the radio button group 31 and select the OK button 32 to select the printing device indicated by the turned-on radio button as the printing device to be used. Here, the user can select one printing device from among the plurality of printing devices displayed in the UI image 30. FIG. 3 shows a state where the first printing device 3a is selected. The printing application may obtain, from the first printing device 3a or from the driver software of the first printing device 3a, information regarding functions that the first printing device 3a can execute, such as, for example, first medium information and first ink information, based on this user selection. If the cancel button 33 is selected in the UI image 30, the printing application may simply end the process.

[0068] Next, the printing application obtains the medium information of each printing device from the first printing device 3a and the second printing device 3b, which are the list of printing devices included in the UI image 30, or from the driver software of those printing devices (step S3). In step S3, in addition to the medium information of each printing device, the ink information of each printing device can also be obtained.

[0069] Then, for each printing device, the printing application sets the device information, the obtained medium information, or the medium information and the ink information, in the URL parameters (step S4). Here, as URL parameters, the medium information, etc. for the second printing device 3b that may not be used are also included for the purpose of recommending them to the user. Next, the printing application accesses the web page of the web server with the URL with the thus-set URL parameters (step S5).

[0070] When the URL indicating the access destination of the web server is [https: / / www.xxx], the URL including the URL parameters will be, for example, as follows. [https: / / www.xxx / ?selected_printer=3a&sp_medium=plain&candidate_printer=3b&cp_medium=photo]

[0071] The above example indicates that the selected printing device "selected_printer" is the first printing device 3a "3a", and its used medium "sp_medium" is plain paper "plain". Also, the following example is an example indicating that the candidate printing device "candidate_printer" is the second printing device 3b "3b", and its used medium "cp_medium" is photo paper "photo". In this way, the printing application generates URL parameters including desired parameters according to the selection of the printing device and candidate parameters according to the printing devices that are not selected but owned. Here, it is described as not including the first device information regarding the first printing device 3a selected as the printing device to be used for the candidate parameters. However, even if the first device information is included in the candidate parameters, the second printing device 3b, which is a printing device that is not selected but owned, can be known by comparison with the desired parameters.

[0072] The web server that has received access with a URL with the above URL parameters controls to sort and display printable web content on the display unit 12 based on the medium information or the medium information and ink information indicated by the URL parameters (step S6).

[0073] Thereby, in the printing application, a UI image such as the UI image 40 in FIG. 4 is displayed, and user selection of the content to be printed is received from this UI image (step S7).

[0074] The UI image 40 is an example of a content selection image. The UI image 40 includes an image 41b for a certain painting and an image 41a for a certain paper craft in a manner that can be selected by the user via radio buttons. In the UI image 40, the images 41a and 41b are displayed in a sorted state based on the device information of the selected first printing device 3a by the web server. In the example of FIG. 4, according to the above-described example of setting the URL parameter, for the selected first printing device 3a whose used medium is plain paper, it means that the image 41b is more suitable for printing than the image 41a. Also, in the UI image 40, only the images that can be printed at least by the selected first printing device 3a are extracted and displayed. By such extraction, it is possible to suppress the display of content that cannot be printed for reasons such as the selected first printing device 3a not corresponding to the medium for web content.

[0075] Of course, the UI image 40 can further include more images and may also include a scroll bar. For example, based on the URL parameter, content that can be printed by using a second printing device 3b determined by the web server to be a printing device owned by the user but not selected by the user can also be displayed in the UI image 40. Also, regardless of the type of images included in the UI image 40, it can include a plurality of images with different versions such as different resolutions generated from the same original image as described above. Also, the method of selecting an image in the UI image 40 is not limited to radio buttons, and various methods such as simply selecting the entire image can be adopted. Also, the UI image 40 can include an OK button 42, a cancel button 43, and information 44 indicating the printing device of the user selection operation received in step S2.

[0076] The user can select the content to be printed as the print target content by turning on the radio button of the content to be printed among images 41a and 41b and selecting the OK button 42. In FIG. 4, a state where image 41a is selected is shown. The print app conveys this user selection to the web server. If the cancel button 43 is selected in the UI image 40, the print app may just end the process.

[0077] Upon receiving information indicating the user selection of the print target content, the web server determines whether a printing device more suitable for printing the print target content is among the candidate printing devices, that is, the printing devices that are not selected but are owned (step S8). Here, an example is shown where the candidate printing device is only the second printing device 3b. In step S8, the web server may make the determination by referring to the above-described table based on each piece of information received from the print app. For example, when an image of paper craft like image 41a is selected as the print target content, it can be said that the photo paper used in the second printing device 3b is more suitable than the plain paper used in the first printing device 3a because it is thicker.

[0078] When the result of the determination in step S8 indicates that a more suitable printing device is among the candidate printing devices, that is, when it is YES in step S9, the web server performs control to display guidance recommending the more suitable printing device (step S10). As a result, in the print app, a UI image like the UI image 50 in FIG. 5 is displayed, and a user selection to change the printing device is received from this UI image (step S11). Through such processing, the user can specify a more suitable printing device for printing.

[0079] The UI image 50 is an example of a first device selection image. The UI image 50 includes an image 51 corresponding to the image 41a which is the content to be printed, an OK button 52, and a cancel button 53. Further, the UI image 50 includes information 55 indicating guidance for recommending a more suitable printing device, such as "The following printing device is more suitable for printing this content to be printed. Do you want to change?", and a radio button 56. The radio button 56 is a radio button for selecting the second printing device 3b which is the printing device. Also, the UI image 50 includes information 54 indicating the currently selected printing device. That is, the UI image 50 enables the user to change the selection of the printing device executed in the previously displayed UI image 30.

[0080] In step S11, if the user does not stop using the first printing device 3a, the user selects the OK button 52 with the radio button 56 turned off. On the other hand, if the user uses the second printing device 3b instead of the first printing device 3a, in step S11, the user selects the OK button 52 with the radio button 56 turned on. The UI image 50 shows the state where the second printing device 3b is selected. If the cancel button 53 is selected in the UI image 50, the printing application may just end the process.

[0081] Then, when the OK button 52 is selected, the printing application accepts a print instruction for the content to be printed (step S12). Next, the printing application generates a print job for the image 41a to the printing device selected in step S11 and transmits it to the printing device (step S13). In step S13, when the printing device selected in step S11 is the second printing device 3b, a print job is generated and transmitted to the second printing device 3b. As a result, the image 41a, that is, the image 51, is printed by the second printing device 3b, and the printing process ends. On the other hand, when the printing device selected in step S11 remains the first printing device 3a, a print job for the image 41a is generated and transmitted to the first printing device 3a in step S13. As a result, the image 41a, that is, the image 51, is printed by the first printing device 3a, and the printing process ends.

[0082] If the result of the determination in step S8 indicates that a more suitable printing device is not among the candidate printing devices, that is, if the result in step S9 is NO, the web server returns that fact to the printing application. For example, when a coloring picture image such as the image 41b is selected as the content to be printed, it can be said that the plain paper used in the first printing device 3a is more suitable than the photo paper used in the second printing device 3b. Therefore, the determination in step S9 is NO. Then, the printing application generates a print job for the image 41b to the first printing device 3a, which is the printing device initially selected in step S2, and transmits it to the first printing device 3a (step S13). As a result, the image 41b is printed by the first printing device 3a, and the printing process ends.

[0083] As exemplified by the case where the result in step S9 is NO, when the content to be printed selected via the content selection image cannot be printed by the second printing device 3b, the printing application does not necessarily need to display the second printing device 3b as selectable with the first device selection image.

[0084] Also, as exemplified in the case of NO in step S9, the printing application may perform the following processing. That is, when the print target content selected via the content selection image is not printable by the second printing device 3b, the printing application may send a print job for the print target content to the first printing device 3a without displaying the first device selection image.

[0085] Also, in steps S8 and S10, although the printing device most suitable for printing the print target content was determined and recommended, it is also possible to simply determine a printing device capable of printing the print target content and display it as a guidance for reference. As an example of such a UI image, the UI image 60 in FIG. 6 is given. Instead of the information 55 in the UI image 50, the UI image 60 includes information 65 indicating guidance for reference such as "This print target content can also be printed by the following printing devices. Do you want to change?"

[0086] Also, in FIG. 2, an example was given in which the user selects the print target content after selecting the printing device, but the user may select the printing device after selecting the print target content. In that case, it is advisable to let the user select the printing device from among the candidate printing devices with the print target content included in the UI image. And at this time, if there are differences in the quality etc. when printing the print target content among the candidate printing devices, an explanation to that effect may be included in the UI image, or alternatively, the printing devices may be sorted in order of superiority and inferiority and included in the UI image.

[0087] [Variation of parameters] Various information such as the user's regional information and information indicating the usage time of the website may be added to the above-described URL parameters. Note that the regional information can be obtained, for example, by the communication unit 14 of the information processing apparatus 1 or by a separately provided position information acquisition unit.

[0088] By adding the user's regional information to the URL parameters, it is possible to display the content so as to guide the user to the region-specific Web content. Region-specific Web content can refer to, for example, content indicating events currently popular in that region. By adding information indicating the website usage time to the URL parameters, it is possible to guide the user to Web content according to the usage time. Web content according to the usage time can refer to, for example, Web content matching the greeting when the usage time is during the greeting period such as the end of the year and the beginning of the year. Also, for example, even if the usage time is during the greeting period such as the end of the year and the beginning of the year, if it is a weekday time zone when there is no time for work, it is also possible not to recommend Web content matching the greeting.

[0089] [Effects of the Present Embodiment] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when printing content suitable for the user's printing environment, there is an effect that the convenience of the user can be improved. For example, in the present embodiment, printable printing devices are presented, the content is sorted and displayed, the user's selection of the content is received from among them, and it is displayed that the selected content can also be printed by a printing device that is not a candidate specified by the user. Such processing can be realized because the server device 2 can grasp the printing environment of the information processing device 1, for example, the printing application can function in cooperation with the Web content. By such processing, in the present embodiment, the user can be easily made to select a printing device suitable for the content to be printed.

[0090] Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress, for example, printing with a printing device that is not very suitable for Web content or presenting Web content that cannot be printed by the user's printing device. As a result, in the present embodiment, for the user, it is possible to reduce the trouble of redoing user operations such as the content selection operation and the printing device selection operation.

[0091] (Other Modification Examples) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the spirit. For example, the information processing device, the server device, and the printing device may be any device that can realize the functions as described. Further, the present invention can also adopt a form of a device that executes only a part of the processes in the above-described embodiments. For example, the present invention can adopt a form as an information processing device that performs a generation process of a first parameter based on detection of a candidate printing device. Alternatively, the present invention can also adopt a form as an information processing device that performs a generation process of a second parameter based on selection of a first printing device.

[0092] Also, each device provided in the printing system according to the above-described embodiments can each have, for example, the following hardware configuration. Here, each device, taking the example of FIG. 1, refers to the information processing device 1, the server device 2, the first printing device 3a, and the second printing device 3b. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device.

[0093] The device 1000 shown in FIG. 7 can include a processor 1001, a memory 1002, and an interface 1003. The interface 1003 can include an interface necessary according to the device, for example, a communication interface or an interface with an input / output device.

[0094] The processor 1001 may be, for example, a CPU, a GPU, or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) also referred to as a microprocessor. The processor 1001 may include a plurality of processors. The memory 1002 is configured by, for example, a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The functions in each device are realized by the processor 1001 reading a program stored in the memory 1002 and performing necessary information exchange via the interface 1003.

[0095] Also, when the above-described program is loaded into a computer, it includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a tangible storage medium. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD), or other memory technologies. Also, by way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or tangible storage medium includes CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted on a transitory computer-readable medium or a communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the transitory computer-readable medium or communication medium includes electrical, optical, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals.

[0096] As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited only to the configurations of the above embodiments, and of course includes various modifications, corrections, and combinations that can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention of the claims of the present patent application.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0097] 1... Information processing device, 2... Server device, 3a... First printing device, 3b... Second printing device, 10... Control unit, 10a... Display processing unit, 10b... Determination unit, 10c... Printing processing unit, 11... Memory unit, 12... Display unit, 13... Operation unit, 14... Communication unit, 20... Control unit, 20a... Determination unit, 20b... Extraction unit, 20c... Transmission processing unit, 21... Memory unit, 21a... Content, 21b... Content, 24... Communication unit, 30... UI image, 31... Radio button group, 32... OK button, 33... Cancel button, 40... UI image, 41a... Image, 41b... Image, 42... OK button, 43... Cancel button, 44... Information, 50... UI image, 51... Image, 52... OK button, 53... Cancel button, 54... Information, 55... Information, 56... Radio button, 60... UI image, 65... Information, 100... Printing system, 1000... Device, 1001... Processor, 1002... Memory, 1003... Interface, N... Network.

Claims

1. comprising a display unit, an operation unit, a communication unit, and a control unit, the control unit causes the display unit to display a content selection image which is a user interface image for selecting print target content, determines whether the print target content can be printed by a second printing device which is a printing device different from a first printing device capable of printing the print target content, for the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image, when the print target content can be printed by the second printing device, causes the display unit to display a first device selection image which is a user interface image for selecting one from the first printing device and the second printing device as a printing device for printing the print target content, transmits a print job for the print target content to the printing device selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image, via the communication unit, An information processing apparatus.

2. the control unit causes the display unit to display a second device selection image which is a user interface image for selecting a printing device desired to be used from among candidate printing devices including the first printing device and the second printing device, sets the printing device selected from the operation unit via the second device selection image as the first printing device, causes the display unit to display the content selection image after the printing device desired to be used is selected via the second device selection image, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. the control unit acquires first medium information regarding a medium printable by the first printing device, and causes the content selection image to be displayed based on the first medium information, The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. the control unit After the print target content is selected via the content selection image, a user interface image for selecting a printing device that the user wishes to use from among candidate printing devices including the first printing device and the second printing device is displayed on the display unit. The printing device selected from the operation unit via the second device selection image is set as the first printing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The control unit acquires second medium information regarding a medium printable by the second printing device, and determines whether the print target content can be printed by the second printing device based on the second medium information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. When the print target content selected via the content selection image cannot be printed by the second printing device, the control unit does not display the second printing device as selectable in the first device selection image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. When the print target content selected via the content selection image cannot be printed by the second printing device, the control unit does not display the first device selection image and transmits a print job for the print target content to the first printing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The control unit detects, from a network connected via the communication unit, a printing device capable of receiving a print job from the information processing apparatus as a candidate printing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 4.

9. A communication unit and a control unit. The control unit detects, from a network connected via the communication unit, a printing device capable of receiving a print job as a candidate printing device. Including a first parameter that is a parameter indicating the detected candidate printing device, and executing a generation process for generating a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating an access destination of a server device storing print target content. Access the server device via the communication unit based on the URL. An information processing apparatus.

10. Comprising a display unit and an operation unit. The control unit Displays, on the display unit, a first device selection image that is a user interface image for selecting, via the operation unit, a printing device desired to be used from among the candidate printing devices. Selects, as a first printing device, the printing device selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image, which is a printing device for printing the print target content. The generation process generates, as the URL, a URL including the first parameter and a second parameter that is a parameter indicating the first printing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

11. The first parameter includes a parameter indicating a second printing device that is a printing device detected as the candidate printing device and not selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10.

12. The control unit Acquires, via the communication unit, the content extracted or sorted by the server device based on the second parameter. Displays, on the display unit, a content selection image that is a user interface image for selecting the print target content from among the acquired content via the operation unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10 or 11.

13. Comprising a display unit and an operation unit. The control unit causes the display unit to display a second device selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting, via the operation unit, a printing device proposed by the server device as a printing device that prints the print target content based on the first parameter. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

14. An information processing apparatus including a display unit, an operation unit, a communication unit, and a control unit. A first printing device A second printing device and includes The control unit causes the display unit to display a content selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting print target content, and determines whether the print target content can be printed by the second printing device when the print target content can be printed by the first printing device with respect to the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image. When the print target content can be printed by the second printing device, the display unit displays a first device selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting one of the first printing device and the second printing device as a printing device that prints the print target content. A print job for the print target content is transmitted via the communication unit to the printing device selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image. A printing system.

15. On a computer including a display unit, an operation unit, and a communication unit, a content selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting print target content, is caused to be displayed on the display unit, and it is determined whether the print target content can be printed by a second printing device, which is a printing device different from the first printing device capable of printing the print target content, with respect to the print target content selected from the operation unit via the content selection image. When the print target content is printable by the second printing device, a first device selection image, which is a user interface image for selecting one of the first printing device and the second printing device as the printing device for printing the print target content, is displayed on the display unit. A print job for the print target content is transmitted via the communication unit to the printing device selected from the operation unit via the first device selection image. A program for causing the processing to be executed.

Images