Terminal, recording device, connection method, and program

Abstract

To facilitate use of a recording device mounted with Bluetooth by a plurality of portable terminals.SOLUTION: A terminal capable of Bluetooth communication is provided. The terminal includes an interface capable of performing Bluetooth communication and a control unit. The control unit establishes a connection with a recording device capable of Bluetooth communication by the interface, communicates with the recording device by the interface unit via the connection, and releases the connection with the recording device after completion of transmission of recording data to the recording device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a recording device, a connection method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a system for wirelessly connecting a recording device that records images on a recording medium to a smartphone (hereinafter referred to as a mobile terminal) or the like, and using an app to print or transmit data to the recording device. Bluetooth (registered trademark) is a well-known short-range wireless communication technology, and its use enables communication without complex settings. Furthermore, Bluetooth consumes little power, making it suitable for communication with battery-powered recording devices that are easy to carry around. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-141118 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Bluetooth connections, the mobile device is the master device and the recording device is the slave device. From the perspective of the slave device, i.e., the recording device, there is a limit of one master device that can be connected at a time.

[0005] In addition, even if a user finishes operating an application on a Bluetooth-connected master device, the connection with the connected slave device may continue in some cases. Because a slave device can only connect to one master, if the connection is left undisconnected, a specific mobile device may inadvertently monopolize the connection with the recording device, preventing other mobile devices operated by other users from connecting to the recording device.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned conventional examples, and aims to provide a terminal device, a connection method, and a program that prevent a specific terminal device from monopolizing wireless communication with a single recording device when connecting using Bluetooth. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal device connected via Bluetooth communication to a recording device capable of recording based on data received via Bluetooth communication, the terminal device comprising: an interface means capable of Bluetooth communication; a control means; The control means a connection to the recording device is established by the interface means in response to a user's instruction to record on the recording device; After completing the transmission of the data to the recording device via the connection, the connection is released. A terminal device is provided.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording device that functions as a Bluetooth slave device, comprising: an interface means capable of Bluetooth communication; a control means; The control means establishing a connection with a master device by said interface means; communicating with the master device by means of the interface means via the connection; After completing communication with the master device, restart the Bluetooth and release the connection. A recording device is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in a connection using Bluetooth, a predetermined terminal device does not monopolize wireless communication with one recording device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the recording apparatus with the cover omitted. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a recording apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a Bluetooth connection between a recording device and a mobile terminal. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the recording device for Bluetooth connection. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the recording device from Bluetooth connection to disconnection. [Figure 7] 5 is a flowchart showing processing from application startup to application operation termination on the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a plurality of mobile terminals and a recording device. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the flow from application startup to application operation termination on multiple mobile terminals and a recording device in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the timing of the next connection after the mobile terminal is disconnected. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of confirming the completion of printing after the mobile terminal transmits print data. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation when the Bluetooth connection is turned off from the recording device side. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing processing from application startup to application operation termination on a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing a process for acquiring a status of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used to designate identical or similar components, and redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0012] [First embodiment] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a recording device with its cover omitted. For ease of explanation, FIG. 1 shows the recording device 1 with its cover omitted. Recording device 1 is a device that records images on a tubular recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a tube), such as a tube printer. Recording device 1 is a portable device similar to a laptop computer.

[0013] <Outline of the recording device> The recording device 1 includes an ink ribbon cassette 11, an operation unit 12, a display unit 13, a recording unit 14, a cutting unit 15, and a heating unit 16. The recording device 1 forms an image on the surface of a tube, which is a medium, using the recording unit 14 based on data.

[0014] The ink ribbon cassette 11 is a cartridge that stores a long strip of film and fiber coated with ink used for printing on the tubes.

[0015] The operation unit 12 is a device that accepts operation inputs from the user, such as a keyboard. The operation unit 12 accepts various inputs to the recording device 1, such as the content of recording on the tube, the number of recording jobs, and the cutting pattern by the cutting means, as inputs by the user operating the keyboard. The operation unit 12 also switches the power supply unit 21 on or off by accepting user inputs to the power key of the operation unit 12.

[0016] The display unit 13 is a device that displays various types of information, and is, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display).

[0017] The recording unit 14 includes a transport unit for transporting the tube and records a specified image on the surface of the tube. The cutting unit 15 cuts the tube on which the image has been recorded by the recording unit 14. A specific cutting means includes, for example, a cutter. The heating unit 16 includes a heater 161 (shown in FIG. 2) therein for heating the tube. The heating unit 16 also serves as a guide unit for guiding the tube to the recording unit 14. The recording unit 14, cutting unit 15, and heating unit 16 all operate in response to instructions from a terminal connected via Bluetooth communication or instructions received by the operation unit 12.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the recording device 1. The recording device 1 further includes a CPU 20, a power supply unit 21, a recording head 22, a main motor 23, a sub-motor 24, an outside air temperature sensor 25, a ROM 26, a RAM 27, a USB connection unit 28, a Bluetooth interface 29, and a heater 161. The Bluetooth interface is sometimes abbreviated as BTI / F.

[0019] The CPU 20 is a device that generally controls each part of the recording device 1. The CPU 20 functions as a control unit that controls the operation and processing of each part of the recording device 1, such as heating control of the heating unit 16, control related to the recording operation of the recording unit 14, and display control of the display unit 13. The CPU 20 stores various data input to the operation unit 12 in the ROM 26 and RAM 27. For example, in response to a start-up operation by a user to turn on the power of the recording device 1, the CPU 20 reads out a printing program from the ROM 26 and executes it. This realizes the printing process.

[0020] The power supply unit 21 is a unit that supplies the power required for the operation of each part of the recording device 1 to each part, and is, for example, a battery.

[0021] The recording head 22 is a device for recording an image on the tube. The main motor 23 and the sub-motor 24 are motors for driving the respective parts of the recording device 1.

[0022] The outside air temperature sensor 25 is a temperature sensor that detects the environmental temperature around the recording device 1. The outside air temperature sensor 25 is provided in a position where it is not affected by the heat from the heater 161 housed inside the recording device 1.

[0023] The ROM 26 is a non-volatile memory that stores various data and programs. The ROM 26 stores various programs, such as a print program and an image forming job, and various data. The RAM 27 is a volatile memory that provides a work area for the CPU 20.

[0024] The USB connection unit 28 is an interface that enables connection to USB-compatible devices other than the recording device 1 via USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0025] The BTI / F29 is an interface for connecting to the mobile terminal 3 via Bluetooth (registered trademark). A connection via Bluetooth communication is called a Bluetooth connection. In a Bluetooth connection, one of the connected devices is the master device, and the other is the slave device. The master device is the device that initiates packet transmission, which divides and transmits data, and the slave device is the device that responds to packets from the master device. Connecting devices via Bluetooth requires an authentication process called pairing. Pairing is generally performed using the following procedure. First, after Bluetooth communication is enabled on both devices, one device searches for the device it wants to pair with and selects the device from the search results. After that, if necessary, a passkey is entered, and both devices approve the pairing. This pairing procedure establishes a Bluetooth connection. In Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which is supported in Bluetooth version 4 and later, a device that emits an advertising signal before connection is called a peripheral, and a device that scans the advertising signal is called a central. After connection, the central functions as the master device, and the peripheral functions as the slave device. In this embodiment, an example of Bluetooth connection using BLE is described. However, the control (cancellation) of Bluetooth connection according to the present disclosure is not limited to BLE, but can also be applied to so-called classic Bluetooth.

[0026] <Hardware configuration of mobile terminal> 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 3. The mobile terminal 3 establishes a Bluetooth connection with the recording device 1 when the user operates an application for controlling the Bluetooth connection.

[0027] The mobile terminal 3 is a device that makes various requests to the recording device 1, and is, for example, a terminal device, an information processing device, or a computer including a smartphone, a tablet, and a PC. The mobile terminal 3 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a BTI / F 304, and an operation UI unit 305.

[0028] The CPU 301 is a device that comprehensively controls each part of the mobile terminal 3. For example, by reading the control program stored in the ROM 303 into the RAM 302 and executing it, the BTI / F 304 is controlled. That is, the CPU 301 functions as a control unit of the mobile terminal 3.

[0029] The RAM 302 is a volatile memory that provides a work area for the CPU 301. The ROM 303 is a non-volatile memory that stores an application program for realizing the operation of the present embodiment, various software, a basic control program, and various data, etc.

[0030] The BTI / F 304 is an interface for Bluetooth communication. A Bluetooth connection is established between the BTI / F 304 and the BTI / F 29 of the recording device 1.

[0031] The operation UI unit 305 is a device for displaying or inputting various information, and is, for example, a touch panel in which a display unit and an input unit are integrated. The application program (hereinafter referred to as an application) of the present embodiment is, for example, one of the control programs stored in the ROM 303. The user checks a Bluetooth connectable device (for example, the recording device 1) on the screen displayed on the operation UI unit 305 by starting this application. When the mobile terminal 3 receives a user input for selecting the recording device 1 to be the connection target from the connectable devices displayed on the screen of the operation UI unit 305, it makes a Bluetooth connection with the recording device 1 via the BTI / F 304. The operation UI unit 305 may also be simply referred to as the operation unit 305.

[0032] <Bluetooth Connection> FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a Bluetooth connection between the recording device and the portable terminal 3. The recording device and the portable terminal 3 are connected via Bluetooth communication to form a recording system or a communication system. The recording device 1 communicates with the portable terminal 3 via a wireless Bluetooth connection 401. When the recording device 1 is connected to the portable terminal 3 via Bluetooth, the portable terminal 3 becomes the master device (master) and the recording device 1 becomes the slave device (slave). The recording device 1 operates in response to commands sent from the portable terminal 3 via the connection 401. The commands from the portable terminal 3 include, for example, commands to send and receive data and to print. They may also include instructions or commands for cutting or heating.

[0033] The recording device 1 records the image on the tube based on the information received from the mobile terminal 3. Note that each of the recording device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 may have a power-saving setting to reduce power consumption related to the Bluetooth connection.

[0034] <Bluetooth connection processing by the recording device> FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the recording device for Bluetooth connection. Here, the process when the recording device 1 connects to the mobile terminal 3 via Bluetooth using the BTI / F 29 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. In this example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is used, with the recording device 1 functioning as a peripheral and the mobile terminal 3 functioning as a central. This process is realized by the CPU 20 of the recording device 1 executing a program stored in the ROM 26. The process of FIG. 5 is started when the recording device 1 receives an instruction to enter Bluetooth connection mode. This instruction may be input by the user via the operation UI unit 305, for example. Alternatively, the process of FIG. 5 may be executed as part of a series of startup processes when the recording device 1 is powered on.

[0035] In S501, the CPU 20 transmits advertising information (or advertising signals) to the surrounding area. The advertising information is transmitted intermittently or periodically.

[0036] In S502, the CPU 20 determines whether a scan request has been received. The scan request is sent by a central, such as a mobile terminal 3, that has received the advertising information and selected the recording device 1 as a connection partner. If it is determined that a scan request has been received (Yes in S502), the process proceeds to S503. On the other hand, if a scan request has not been received (No in S502), the process returns to S501. Note that if no scan request has been received from the central for a certain period of time, the transmission of the advertising information in S501 may be stopped. If there is a new instruction to switch to Bluetooth connection mode thereafter, the transmission of the advertising information may be resumed.

[0037] In S503, the CPU 20 sends a scan response to the device that sent the scan request (e.g., the mobile terminal 3). Then, the process proceeds to S504, where the CPU 20 waits for a connection request from the device that is the destination of the scan response. Note that during this time, the CPU 20 may receive a scan request from another device and send a scan response to that device.

[0038] If it is determined in S504 that a connection request has been received from the mobile terminal 3 (shown in FIG. 3), the CPU 20 establishes a Bluetooth connection with the device that sent the connection request in S505. Through the above steps, the recording device 1, which is a peripheral, establishes a Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal 3, which is a central. In Fig. 5, if a connection request is not received within a certain period of time in S504, the process may be terminated and the waiting for a connection request may be discontinued. Even in this case, if an instruction to switch to Bluetooth connection mode is received, the transmission of advertising information may be resumed.

[0039] According to the procedure of FIG. 5, a Bluetooth connection is established between the portable terminal 3 and the recording device 1 in response to a message from the portable terminal 3, which is the central.

[0040] <Bluetooth disconnection process by the recording device> FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operations performed by the recording device from Bluetooth connection to disconnection (or disconnection).

[0041] The process from when the recording device 1 starts a Bluetooth connection with the portable terminal 3 to when the Bluetooth connection is terminated will be described with reference to Fig. 6. This process is realized by the CPU 20 of the recording device 1 executing a program stored in the ROM 26. The process in Fig. 6 is initiated when the recording device 1 receives a message (or packet) from the portable terminal 3.

[0042] In S601, the CPU 20 determines whether the processing request received from the Bluetooth-connected mobile terminal 3 (shown in FIG. 3) is a request to disconnect. If the CPU 20 determines that a connection disconnection request has been received from the mobile terminal 3 (Yes in S601), the process proceeds to S602. On the other hand, if the CPU 20 determines that the processing request received from the mobile terminal 3 is not a connection disconnection request (No in S601), the process proceeds to S603.

[0043] In S602, since the request from the mobile terminal 3 is a request to release the Bluetooth connection, the CPU 20 releases the Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal 3. Thereafter, the process ends and the CPU 20 waits for the next message to be received.

[0044] In S603, the CPU 20 executes processing in response to the received processing request. For example, when data to be printed or a command related to printing is received from the portable terminal 3, the data or command is stored in a processing storage area such as the RAM 27. The data or command is then processed by a program executed by the CPU 20 to process it, and, for example, printing, cutting, heating, etc. are performed by driving the respective hardware in response to the command.

[0045] Once a Bluetooth connection is established in this way, the recording device 3 can operate according to data and commands given through communication via the Bluetooth connection. If a request to release the Bluetooth connection is received, the recording device 3 will release (disconnect) the Bluetooth connection accordingly.

[0046] <Application processing on mobile devices> FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing from application (app) launch on a mobile terminal to the end of application operation in this embodiment. This app is for printing using a recording device. Processing of this app is realized by CPU 301 fetching and executing a program stored in RAM 302 or ROM 303. The processing in FIG. 7 is triggered by the launch of the app. When an application installed on a mobile terminal is launched by a user operation, the application is simply launched, and no Bluetooth communication for connecting to a printer is performed.

[0047] In step S701, the CPU 301 waits for an input from the user. When an input is received, the process proceeds to step S702.

[0048] In S702, the CPU 301 determines whether a user operation requiring communication has been performed. Specifically, if the user operation is an operation on the terminal to create data to be printed by the recording device, it is determined that the operation does not require communication. In this case, the result is NO in S702 and the process proceeds to S703. On the other hand, if an operation to send data to be printed has been performed, the result is YES in S702 and the process proceeds to S704. The same applies to any communication with the recording device, not just printing. Operations requiring communication may be determined in advance, and if an operation corresponding to that has been performed, it may be determined in S702 that an operation requiring communication has been performed.

[0049] In S703, the CPU 301 determines whether the user has performed an operation to terminate the application. If it is determined that an operation to terminate the application has been performed, this processing ends. On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation is not to terminate the application, the CPU 301 performs processing according to the operation in S711 and returns to S701.

[0050] In S704, the CPU 301 determines whether advertising information has been received and waits for its reception. This advertising information was transmitted by the recording device 1 in S501 of Fig. 5. If advertising information has been received, the process proceeds to S704.

[0051] In S705, the CPU 301 sends a scan request to the recording device 1. Then, in S706, the CPU 301 waits for a scan response from the recording device 1. This scan response is the one sent by the recording device 1 in S503 of FIG.

[0052] If a scan response is received in S706 as the recording device 1's response to the scan request from the mobile terminal, in S707 the CPU 301 acquires the connection model information in the received scan response and determines whether it matches the model information of the connection target (connection target information) that is preset in the application. If it matches, proceed to S708; if it does not match, repeat S704 to S707. The model information used for this determination is information unique to the device, and may be, for example, a combination of product information (model identification information) and a product serial number, or a BD address (Bluetooth Device address) unique to each BluetoothIF. The information is not limited to the examples given above, as long as it is unique information that can identify each recording device.

[0053] In S708, the CPU 301 sends a connection request to the recording device 1. In response to this connection request, the recording device 1 executes S505 in FIG. 5, and a Bluetooth connection is established between the recording device 1 and the mobile terminal 3. Once the connection is established, in S709 the CPU 301 sends data corresponding to the operation to the recording device 1.

[0054] When the data transmission in S709 is complete, in S710 the CPU 301 sends a disconnection request to the recording device 1 to terminate the Bluetooth connection with the recording device 1, and the connection is terminated. Upon receiving this disconnection request, the recording device 1 executes the process of S602 in FIG. 6. This terminates the Bluetooth connection between the recording device 1 and the mobile terminal 3. Note that the end of data transmission in S709 refers to, for example, the completion of transmission of print data that was the subject of a single print instruction, and if transmission is performed in multiple data pieces, it may refer to the completion of transmission of the last data piece. After the data transmission is complete, a disconnection request is sent and the connection is terminated.

[0055] If the scan response is not received within a certain period of time in S706, a timeout error may be detected. The scan request in S704 may be sent to the sender of the received advertising information in response to scanning and receiving the advertising information from the recording device 1.

[0056] After that, the process will be repeated until the application is terminated.

[0057] When an application running on the mobile terminal 3 is executed according to the above procedure, a Bluetooth connection is established and communication is carried out each time an operation requiring communication with the recording device 1 is performed. Then, when communication ends, the established Bluetooth connection is released (disconnected). As a result, the Bluetooth connection of the recording device 1 functioning as a slave is automatically released each time communication is completed, allowing the recording device 1 to prepare for a new Bluetooth connection. By having multiple mobile terminals 3 that use the recording device 1 execute the application according to the procedure shown in Figure 7, it is possible to prevent any of the mobile terminals from monopolizing the recording device.

[0058] <The flow from launching the app on a mobile device to closing the app> FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of multiple mobile terminals and a recording device. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing the flow from app launch to app termination on multiple mobile terminals in this embodiment. The flow from app launch to app termination on a mobile terminal in this embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 8 and 9. In this sequence, the recording device 1 establishes only one of Bluetooth connections 801, 802 at a time between mobile terminal 3A and mobile terminal 3B, and communicates via that connection. This allows the recording device 1 to print on a tube, which is a medium, according to the print data.

[0059] 9 explains the case where print data is sent from terminal 3A of user A and terminal 3B of user B. In Fig. 9, operations by user A and packets and messages from terminal 3A are shown with solid lines, and operations by user B and packets and messages from terminal 3B are shown with dotted lines.

[0060] The Bluetooth communication states of the mobile terminals 3A and 3B include Idle, in which no operation related to communication is being performed, Scanning, in which the state is from a scan request until the connection is established, and Connected, in which the connection is established.The Bluetooth communication states of the recording device 1 include Idle, in which no operation related to communication is being performed, Advertising, in which advertising information is transmitted and the device is waiting for connection with the mobile terminal, and Connected, in which the connection is established.

[0061] (Movement of mobile terminal 3A) In step S901, when the recording device 1 receives an instruction to switch to the Bluetooth connection mode, it transitions to the advertising state and transmits advertising information from the BTI / F 29 to the surrounding area.

[0062] In S902, applications are started on the mobile terminals 3A and 3B. Each of them is not yet communicating with the recording device 1.

[0063] In S903, user A's operation causes portable terminal 3A to issue a print instruction before portable terminal 3B. For example, when an operation to print input data on a tube is performed, portable terminal 3A attempts to establish a Bluetooth connection with recording device 1 because the operation requires communication. To do this, portable terminal 3A scans the advertising information being transmitted by recording device 1. Then, in S904, portable terminal 3A transmits a scan request to communication device 1, which is the source of the advertising information.

[0064] In S905, the recording device 1 sends a scan response in response to the scan request from the portable terminal 3A. When the portable terminal 3A receives the scan response from the recording device 1, it references the model information included in the advertising information and the scan response and determines whether the device that sent them is the recording device 1 to which it should connect. Here, whether it is a recording device to which it should connect is non-volatile data that is stored in advance in the ROM area of ​​the application.

[0065] If it is not the recording device to connect to, scanning continues until the target recording device is found. If it is determined to be the recording device to connect to, in S906 the portable terminal 3A sends a connection request to the target recording device 1. When the recording device 1 receives the connection request from the portable terminal 3A, it establishes a Bluetooth connection with the portable terminal. This establishes a Bluetooth connection between the BTI / F 304 of the portable terminal 3A and the BTI / F 29 of the recording device 1, and the state transitions to Connected.

[0066] In S907, the portable terminal 3A connected to the recording device 1 sends the created print data to the recording device 1. When the recording device 1 receives the print data, it buffers the data and prepares for printing.

[0067] When the transmission of the print data is complete, in S908 the portable terminal 3A automatically sends a request to disconnect the Bluetooth connection to the recording device 1. The recording device 1 also starts the printing operation because it has received all the print data from the portable terminal 3A. Alternatively, printing may start even if reception of the print data is still in progress after receiving a sufficient amount of print data so that printing will not be interrupted.

[0068] In S909, in response to receiving the disconnection request, the recording device 1 disconnects the Bluetooth connection with the mobile terminal 3A and transitions to the Advertising state.

[0069] (Movement of mobile terminal 3B) The behavior of the mobile terminal 3B while the mobile terminal 3A is performing the above-mentioned operations will be explained. In S910, user B issues a similar print instruction to portable terminal 3B. However, at this point, portable terminal 3A has already established a connection with recording device 1, and recording device 1 has stopped transmitting advertising information, so portable terminal 3B is not able to receive advertising information.

[0070] If the advertising information cannot be received after S910, the mobile terminal B continues scanning periodically and waits for reception of advertising information from the recording device 1. During this time, the mobile terminal B may display a notification to the user B that it is waiting for connection.

[0071] Once the connection between the mobile terminal 3A and the recording device 1 is released in steps S908 and S909, the recording device 1 will again transmit advertising information to the surrounding area, allowing the mobile terminal 3B to receive the advertising information.

[0072] From S911 onwards, the mobile terminal 3B also establishes a connection in the same manner as the mobile terminal 3A in S904 to S907, transmits print data, and then releases the connection to the recording device.

[0073] In this way, connecting and disconnecting from the printer using an application on the mobile device eliminates the time lag associated with disconnecting via user operation, shortens the interval between switching connections to another user's device, and enables efficient use of the printer.

[0074] The user may be able to set whether or not to control the present embodiment from an application on the mobile terminal or the operation unit 12 of the recording device 1. That is, the mobile terminal may have a mode for disconnecting the connection after sending print data, and the user may be able to select that mode.

[0075] By allowing the user to select the mode in this way, when connecting to the recording device from only one mobile terminal, the user can still connect using the conventional connection method.

[0076] [Second embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, a case where one job of print data is sent from each mobile terminal is described, but the following control may be performed in the case of continuous transmission or according to the communication content and purpose.

[0077] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the timing of the next connection after a mobile terminal disconnects in this embodiment. A mobile terminal disconnects from the recording device when the initial communication ends. To prevent a mobile terminal from immediately connecting if it wants to continue transmitting data, the mobile terminal may have a process in S1001 that delays the timing of the next scan by a certain amount or more. This allows the first mobile terminal to avoid monopolizing the connection and to connect after accepting scanning from other terminals. In the example of FIG. 10, after mobile terminals 3A and 3B each send a disconnection request to the recording device 1 (S1001), they wait for a time Tw without scanning advertising information. Therefore, if mobile terminal 3A sends a Bluetooth disconnection request in S1001, and then immediately scans and receives advertising information and sends a scan request before mobile terminal 3B, there is a possibility that the printing process by mobile terminal 3A will continue.

[0078] In contrast, by waiting for a predetermined time after S1001, the portable terminal 3B has an opportunity to connect to the recording device 1 and perform printing during that time. More specifically, even if a print instruction is issued on the portable terminal 3A immediately after the portable terminal 3A terminates the Bluetooth connection, the connection is not re-established for a predetermined time, and the establishment of the connection is delayed. During this delayed period, the portable terminal 3B and the recording device 1 can be connected.

[0079] The specific value for the delay of the specified time is set to at least the scanning cycle of the mobile device. The mobile device scans for advertising information at a specified cycle, and by not scanning during that cycle, other devices can be given priority for Bluetooth connection. This allows the scanning process to be performed continuously by a mobile device using a Bluetooth device, such as a recording device, while leaving the opportunity for other mobile devices to connect.

[0080] [Third embodiment] As the third embodiment, a configuration for confirming the completion of a printing operation will be described. In the first embodiment, the portable terminal 3 disconnects the Bluetooth connection after completing the transmission of print data, and does not check the status of the subsequent printing process. In contrast, in this embodiment, the status of the processing by the recording device 1 is monitored via the Bluetooth connection. Note that the configuration of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the operation of the recording device 1 is also the same as that of the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the operation of the application follows the procedure of FIG. 13 instead of that of FIG. 7.

[0081] FIG. 11A is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the mobile terminal to check whether printing has been completed after sending print data in the third embodiment.

[0082] When transmitting print data, it may be desirable to continue communication until it is confirmed whether printing has finished. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11(a), the connection is maintained even after the print data has been transmitted, and in S1101 the CPU 301 of the mobile terminal 3 requests a status from the recording device 1. In S1102, the status response transmitted by the recording device 1 is received. This may be repeated intermittently or periodically until the acquired status becomes "Completed (Printing Finished)," and the connection may be disconnected after confirming completion of the print process. Specifically, in the case of printing a small amount of data that can be printed in a short time (e.g., a predetermined time), the connection may be maintained and disconnected after waiting for the printing to finish. Note that if the print process ends in an error, the user may be notified of this by outputting a message to the operation UI unit 305 of the mobile terminal 3, for example, or by displaying a message.

[0083] Fig. 13 shows an example of a procedure performed by an application on the mobile terminal 3. The same reference numerals are used for components common to Fig. 7. The characteristic steps of this embodiment are steps S1301-S1303 inserted between the data communication in S709 and the connection release request (disconnection request) in S710.

[0084] When the CPU 301 has finished transmitting the data to be transmitted in S709, the CPU 301 waits for a predetermined time to elapse in S1301, and then transmits a status request to the recording device 1 in S1302. If a status response is received, the CPU 301 determines whether it is a completion status. If it is a completion status, the CPU 305 transmits a connection release request (disconnection request) to the recording device 1 in S710.

[0085] This allows the mobile terminal 3 to perform printing and check the status while maintaining connection with the recording device 1.

[0086] [Fourth embodiment] As the fourth embodiment, a configuration for confirming the completion of a printing operation, different from the third embodiment, will be described. In the third embodiment, the connection is maintained even after the print data transmission is completed, and the print status is confirmed using that connection. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the Bluetooth connection is temporarily terminated upon completion of the print data transmission, as in the first embodiment. The Bluetooth connection is then reconnected to the recording device 1 to acquire the status. Note that the configuration of this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and the operation of the recording device 1 is also the same as the first embodiment. This embodiment differs from the first and third embodiments in that the application operation executes the procedure shown in FIG. 14 in addition to FIG. 7. Furthermore, a connection and printing by another mobile device may occur between the connection for transmitting print data and the connection for acquiring the status. Therefore, it is desirable to link the print data to be transmitted and its print status with identification information, such as a job ID. When the recording device 1 executes printing, it associates the data with the job ID of the executed print and retains the status of the ongoing or completed print. It is desirable for the mobile device 3 to specify the target job ID in the status request sent to the recording device 1. The recording device 1 may transmit a status associated with the job ID specified in the status request as a status response to the portable terminal 3. The job ID may be assigned by the portable terminal 3 and notified to the recording device 1, or may be assigned by the recording device 1 and notified to the portable terminal 3. The ID of the portable terminal 3 may be used instead of the job ID.

[0087] FIG. 11B is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the mobile terminal to check whether printing has been completed after sending print data in the fourth embodiment.

[0088] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11B, the connection is temporarily terminated in S1111 after the print data is sent. Thereafter, a Bluetooth connection is established in S1112, S1113, and S1114 each time the print status is obtained from the recording device 1. The CPU 301 of the mobile terminal 3 then requests the status from the recording device 1 via the established Bluetooth connection and receives the status response sent by the recording device 1. This may be repeated intermittently or periodically until the status is "Completed (Printing Ended)" and the connection may be terminated after the print process is confirmed to be complete. Specifically, if the printing process takes a long time (a predetermined time) or if a large volume of printing is being performed, such as printing multiple copies, the connection may be terminated after the data transmission is complete and reconnected at each monitoring interval to obtain the status. If the print process ends with an error, the operation UI unit 305 of the mobile terminal 3 may output a message to that effect to the user, such as by display. If the printing time is shorter than the predetermined time, the status may be obtained using the method of the third embodiment; if it is longer than the predetermined time, the status may be obtained using the method of the fourth embodiment.

[0089] FIG. 14 shows an example of a procedure for obtaining status using an application on the mobile terminal 3. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the application sends print data to the recording device 1 using the procedure in FIG. 7. The process in FIG. 14 is then executed. However, in this embodiment, when a disconnection request is sent to the recording device 1 in the process of S710 in FIG. 7, a timer is set for a predetermined time, for example. This time may be a fixed time, but if the expected time required for printing is known, it may be the expected time required. When the cannabis is full, the process in FIG. 14 is executed.

[0090] Steps S1401 to S1405 may be the same as steps S704 to S708 in FIG. 7. In step S1406, the CPU 301 sends a status request to the recording device 1. Then, in step S1407, it is determined whether a completion status has been received. If it is determined that a completion status has been received, then in step S1408, the CPU 301 sends a disconnection request to the recording device 1. On the other hand, if a printing status has been received instead of a completion status, the CPU 301 waits for a predetermined time, for example, by setting a timer for a predetermined time. This waiting time may be shorter than the time set in the timer in step S710, for example, if that time is the estimated time required for the printing process. Once the predetermined time has elapsed, the process is restarted from step S1401. If the status received in step S1407 indicates an error, an error message may be output to notify the user of the error.

[0091] By establishing a connection each time the status is monitored, it is possible to prevent a specific device from monopolizing the Bluetooth connection. At the same time, it is possible to monitor the print process until it is completed.

[0092] [Fifth embodiment] In the above embodiment, the portable terminal requests the recording device to release the connection, and the connection is released accordingly. In contrast, in this embodiment, the recording device takes the initiative in disconnecting (releasing) the communication.

[0093] 12 is a sequence diagram showing the operation when Bluetooth is turned off from the recording device side. Specifically, when data transmission from the mobile terminal 1 is completed, the recording device 1 restarts Bluetooth and transitions to the Advertising state (S1201). Restarting Bluetooth may mean, for example, resetting the current Bluetooth communication state to return it to the initial state. This makes it possible to accept connection from the next terminal.

[0094] Furthermore, when the portable terminal 3A that sent the print data receives advertise information from the recording device 1 for the first time after completing the data transmission, it may not connect to the recording device 1 (do not request a scan) for a predetermined time Tw from that point (S1202). In other words, the connection is delayed for at least the predetermined time Tw. This prevents one terminal from monopolizing the recording device 1, and allows other terminals to use the recording device 1.

[0095] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 1 Recording device, 3A Portable terminal A, 3B Portable terminal B, 12 Operation unit, 13 Display unit, 14 Recording unit, 15 Cutting unit, 16 Heating unit

Claims

1. A terminal device connected via Bluetooth communication to a recording device capable of recording based on data received via Bluetooth communication, an interface means capable of Bluetooth communication; a control means; The control means a connection to the recording device is established by the interface means in response to a user's instruction to record on the recording device; After completing the transmission of the data to the recording device via the connection, the connection is released. A terminal device characterized by:

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, The control means does not make the connection until a predetermined time has elapsed after the connection is released. A terminal device characterized by:

3. The terminal device according to claim 2, the control means scans the advertising information transmitted by the recording device and makes the connection based on the advertising information; The predetermined time is longer than a period for scanning the advertisement information. A terminal device characterized by:

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, After transmitting the data to the recording device, the control means releases the connection after obtaining a recording completion status from the recording device. A terminal device characterized by:

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, the control means releases the connection after the data transmission to the recording device is completed; The control means further establishes the connection with the recording device, acquires the status, and releases the connection each time it acquires a status related to image formation from the recording device. A terminal device characterized by:

6. A terminal device equipped with an interface means capable of Bluetooth communication, establishing a connection with a recording device by the interface means; causing said interface means to communicate with said recording device via said connection; After the communication with the recording device is completed, the connection is terminated. Program for.

7. A recording device that communicates with a terminal device and performs recording, an interface means capable of Bluetooth communication; a control means; The control means establishing a connection with the terminal device by the interface means; communicating with the terminal device via the interface means through the connection; After the communication with the terminal device is completed, the connection is released. A recording device characterized by:

8. A method for connecting a terminal device and a recording device using Bluetooth communication, comprising: a connecting step of connecting the terminal device and the recording device via Bluetooth communication in response to a recording instruction from a user; a transmitting step of transmitting recording data from the terminal device to the recording device via the connection; a disconnection step of disconnecting the connection after the transmission step is completed; Connection methods including.

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