Application Program

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the operating labor of a user when a printer is made to perform printing using a template in an information processor in which an automatic function is mounted on an operating system.SOLUTION: An OS 21 of an electronic device 1 has a connection program 211 for automatically performing an action in response to detection of a trigger, when procedural data indicating the trigger and the action is registered. The printer application 22 makes a CPU 11 execute manual output processing when activated based on user operations. When activated by a connection program 211 on the basis of the procedural data, the printing application 22 obtains a schedule to be printed that is included in input information input when activated, selects a template using template information 221, and automatically outputs, to a printer, a print job for printing an arranged image in which the schedule to be printed is arranged in the selected template.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technical field disclosed in this specification relates to an application program that outputs a print job to a printer. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for preparing a template, accepting a selection of an image, and generating an arrangement image by arranging the selected image on the template. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for automatically selecting a template. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-067261 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, operating systems (OSs) have been equipped with an automatic function that registers procedure data indicating a series of procedures for multiple functions and operations in the OS, and the OS automatically executes the functions and operations according to the registered procedure data. By using this automatic function, the user's work until the desired output is obtained can be automated, so the user's operational burden can be significantly reduced. Even in printing using templates as described above, further reduction in the burden can be expected by using this automatic function provided by the OS. However, Patent Document 1 does not describe the relationship with the OS, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] This specification discloses a technique for reducing the effort required of a user when causing a printer to print using a template in an information processing device having an automatic function installed in its operating system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program made for the purpose of solving this problem is an application program executable by a computer of an information processing device, wherein an operating system of the information processing device has an automatic function, and the automatic function is a function of, when procedure data indicating a series of procedures of a plurality of functions and operations and a start condition that is a condition for starting the series of procedures is registered in the operating system, the operating system automatically executes the series of procedures in response to satisfaction of the start condition, and the application program is started in one case based on a user operation using a user interface of the information processing device and in another case based on the automatic function of the operating system, and further the application program has template correspondence information that indicates a correspondence between attributes of data to be printed and information on a template, and further the application program causes the computer to execute a user operation using the user interface of the information processing device. When started based on an operation, the computer executes a manual output process which accepts selection of data to be printed using the user interface and outputs a print job based on the selected data to be printed, and when started based on the automatic function of the operating system, the computer executes an acquisition process which acquires input information input from the operating system at startup, the input information including the data to be printed, a template selection process which selects a template using the template correspondence information based on attributes of the data to be printed acquired in the acquisition process, and an automatic output process which outputs to the printer a print job which causes a printer to print an arrangement image of the data to be printed acquired in the acquisition process and arranged on the template selected by the template selection process, and when the operating system starts up the application program using the automatic function, the input information is passed to the application program.

[0007] When the application program disclosed in this specification is started based on an automatic function of the OS, the application program selects a template using template correspondence information based on the attributes of the data to be printed that are input from the OS at the time of start-up. Furthermore, the application program automatically outputs to the printer a print job that prints an arrangement image in which the data to be printed is arranged on the selected template. As a result, when the start-up conditions included in the registered procedure data are satisfied, the arrangement image is automatically printed using the desired template, which reduces the user's effort when printing an arrangement image compared to when the user selects a template every time the arrangement image is printed.

[0008] An electronic device for implementing the functions of the application program, a control method for implementing the functions of the application program, and a computer-readable storage medium for storing the application program are also novel and useful. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification realizes a technology that reduces the effort required by a user when causing a printer to print using a template in an information processing device whose operating system has automatic functions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for manual output processing. [Diagram 3] 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of a process performed by a print application when the print application is started based on periodic procedure data. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of template information. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of printer information. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a selection screen in a locked state. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a selection screen in an unlocked state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a program embedded in an electronic device will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment discloses an application program (hereinafter, referred to as an "app") embedded in a portable electronic device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer.

[0012] 1, the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment includes a controller 10 including a CPU 11 and a memory 12. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 includes a user interface (hereinafter, referred to as "user IF") 13, a communication interface (hereinafter, referred to as "communication IF") 14, and a position detection unit 15, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. The electronic device 1 may further include other detection units and other functions. The electronic device 1 is an example of an information processing device.

[0013] The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program read from the memory 12 and based on a user's operation. The CPU 11 is an example of a computer. The memory 12 includes, for example, a ROM, a RAM, a HDD, and a flash memory, and stores various programs and data. Note that the controller 10 in FIG. 1 is a collective term for hardware and software used to control the electronic device 1, and does not necessarily represent a single piece of hardware actually present in the electronic device 1.

[0014] The user IF 13 includes a configuration having a display function and a configuration having an operation reception function. The user IF 13 includes, for example, a touch panel having a display function and a touch reception function, and may further include a microphone having a voice input function and a speaker having a voice output function.

[0015] The communication IF 14 includes hardware for communicating with various external devices. The communication method of the communication IF 14 is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), USB, NFC (abbreviation of Near Field Communication), etc. The electronic device 1 may be compatible with a plurality of communication methods as the communication IF 14. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 may be capable of connecting to the Internet via the communication IF 14.

[0016] The position detection unit 15 includes hardware for detecting the position of the electronic device 1 in the direction of the earth's surface using a GPS or the like. The position detection unit 15 may detect the position of the electronic device 1 by receiving a beacon transmitted from a predetermined beacon generator.

[0017] An operating system (hereinafter, referred to as "OS") 21 and various applications are built into the memory 12 of the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1. The OS 21 is a multitasking OS that can process multiple tasks in parallel by managing and switching between multiple tasks, and is, for example, any one of iOS (registered trademark), Android (registered trademark), Windows (registered trademark), macOS (registered trademark), and Linux (registered trademark).

[0018] The OS 21 of the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment incorporates a linking program 211. The linking program 211 is a program that automatically executes a process registered in preregistered procedure data based on the procedure data. The linking program 211 is an example of a program for realizing an automatic function. The linking program 211 is, for example, SiriShortcut that can run on iOS.

[0019] One or more pieces of procedure data can be registered in the linking program 211, and a trigger, which is a condition for starting execution of the procedure, and an action, which is the content of the procedure to be executed, are stored in association with each other in the linking program 211. The linking program 211 constantly detects triggers of the registered procedure data, and when a trigger is detected, starts execution of the action stored corresponding to the trigger. Note that a series of procedures for executing multiple functions or operations in a predetermined order can be registered as the action of the procedure data. A trigger is an example of a condition for starting an automatic function, and an action is an example of a procedure for an automatic function.

[0020] In each procedure data of the linking program 211, it is possible to register, as a trigger, for example, acceptance of a predetermined operation to the user IF 13, detection of predetermined information by various detection units included in the electronic device 1, and output of predetermined information by various applications incorporated in the electronic device 1. In addition, it is possible to register, as an action, for example, output to the user IF 13, acceptance of an operation input, starting or stopping a predetermined application, and output of predetermined information to a predetermined application in each procedure data of the linking program 211.

[0021] The electronic device 1 of the present embodiment has a lock function for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state as a display mode of the user IF 13. The electronic device 1 becomes in a locked state, for example, when no operation is received for a predetermined consecutive period of time or more. In the locked state, the electronic device 1 displays, for example, a screen for a predetermined locked state, and restricts some of the operations on the user IF 13.

[0022] In the locked state, the electronic device 1 accepts input of unlocking information for releasing the locked state, and releases the locked state and transitions to the unlocked state if the accepted input information matches the unlocking information stored in the memory 12. When the electronic device 1 enters the unlocked state, it hides the screen for the locked state and displays a screen for the unlocked state that can accept various operations.

[0023] However, even in the locked state, the OS 21 and the linking program 211 judge whether or not the detection by each detection unit or the trigger of the registered procedure data is met. When the linking program 211 judges that a trigger of the registered procedure data is detected, it automatically starts execution of the action corresponding to the detected trigger, even in the locked state.

[0024] Various applications can be incorporated into the electronic device 1, and the electronic device 1 of this embodiment incorporates various applications including at least a print application 22. The print application 22 is a program that has a function of generating a print job for causing a printer to execute printing, and outputting the generated print job to a specified output destination. The output destination of the print job may be a printer directly connected to the electronic device 1, or may be a server shared with a printer that is not directly connected. The print application 22 is an example of an application program.

[0025] The print application 22 of this embodiment has template information 221 and printer information 222. The template information 221 is information on a template used by the print application 22 when generating a print job. The printer information 222 is information for the print application 22 to determine an output destination to which the print job is to be output. Details of the operation of the print application 22, the template information 221, and the printer information 222 will be described later.

[0026] The print application 22 may be a dedicated program for a specific model of printer, or a general-purpose program for various printers. The print application 22 may be a program for a printer that prints on standard size paper such as A4, or a program for a printer that prints on label paper to create labels, or a program that can do both.

[0027] 1, the electronic device 1 of the present embodiment further includes a schedule application 23. The schedule application 23 is an application that receives instructions from a user to register, edit, delete, or the like a schedule, and stores the schedule in the memory 12 of the electronic device 1 based on the instructions.

[0028] 1, the electronic device 1 of this embodiment can be connected to a first printer 3 or a second printer 4, which is a printer compatible with the print application 22, via a communication IF 14. Both the first printer 3 and the second printer 4 are devices capable of executing printing based on a print job generated by the print application 22.

[0029] The first printer 3 in this embodiment is, for example, a label printer that is installed in the workplace of the user of the electronic device 1 and that can store rolled label paper and print on the labels. The second printer 4 in this embodiment is, for example, a label printer that is installed in the home of the user of the electronic device 1. Note that the first printer 3 and the second printer 4 may be plain paper printers that can print on paper such as plain paper by electrophotography or inkjet printing.

[0030] Next, an example of the operation of the print application 22 will be described with reference to a sequence diagram, etc. Note that the following processes and each processing step basically indicate the processing of the CPU 11 according to the instructions written in each program. The processing by the CPU 11 also includes hardware control using the API of the OS 21 of the electronic device 1. In this specification, the operation of the program will be described without describing the OS 21.

[0031] First, the procedure of manual output processing, which is processing of the print application 22 when it is manually launched based on a user operation, will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 2. The manual output processing is executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 based on the print application 22 when the print application 22 is specified and launched based on a user operation on the user IF 13, for example, by the user operating an application icon.

[0032] In the manual output process, the CPU 11 displays a pre-prepared top screen (S101) and accepts user operations. Based on the user operations, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of data to be printed, the template to be used, and the selection of printing parameters (S102). If a printer has not been selected, the CPU 11 also accepts the selection of a printer. Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not an instruction to execute printing has been accepted (S103), and if not (S103: NO), accepts further user operations.

[0033] When it is determined that a print command has been received (S103: YES), the CPU 11 generates a print job (S104) and transmits the generated print job to a specified output destination (S105). The output destination of the print job may be a printer connected to the electronic device 1, such as the first printer 3 or the second printer 4, or may be a server shared with a printer not connected to the electronic device 1.

[0034] After sending the print job, the print application 22 in this embodiment stores a print log (S106). The print log stores information indicating the data to be printed, information indicating the printer that is the device that will print the data, and information indicating the date and time when the printing was performed, all of which are associated with each other. If a print job was generated using a template, the print log also includes information about the template that was used.

[0035] Furthermore, the CPU 11 judges whether or not an instruction to end the print application 22 by a user operation has been accepted (S107). If the instruction to end has not been accepted (S107: NO), the CPU 11 returns to displaying, for example, a top screen, and accepts further user operation. If it is judged that an instruction to end has been accepted by a user operation (S107: YES), the CPU 11 ends the print application 22.

[0036] The print application 22 of this embodiment may be started by a procedure different from the user's operation. In the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, one or more procedure data whose action includes a procedure for starting the print application 22 are registered. The print application 22 is automatically started by the linking program 211 when a trigger of the registered procedure data is detected. The action of the procedure data whose action includes a procedure for starting the print application 22 includes a procedure for passing input information, including information related to the trigger of the procedure data, to the started print application 22.

[0037] The registration of the procedure data is performed automatically or based on the user's selection when the print application 22 is installed, for example, by using a registration file provided together with the print application 22. Also, a registration application for registering procedure data, in which multiple pieces of procedure data are prepared in advance, may be provided as an application separate from the print application 22. By executing the registration application, for example, the selected procedure data is registered in the electronic device 1 based on the user's selection.

[0038] When the print application 22 is started based on procedure data by the function of the link program 211, the print application 22 receives input information input from the link program 211 and determines a processing procedure after the start based on the received input information. For example, the print application 22 determines the data to be printed, the template to be used, and the output destination of the print job based on the input information.

[0039] The print application 22 of this embodiment does not receive input information when it is manually started based on a normal user operation without going through the linking program 211. When the print application 22 does not receive input information at the time of starting, it executes the manual output process described above. The print application 22 of this embodiment executes different operations when it is manually started based on a user operation, i.e., when it does not receive input information at the time of starting, and when it is automatically started by the linking program 211, i.e., when it receives input information at the time of starting.

[0040] Next, a description will be given of an example of the operation of the print application 22 when it is started by the linking program 211 based on the procedure data registered in the electronic device 1. The following processing is basically processing executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 based on the print application 22, etc.

[0041] In the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, procedure data (hereinafter, referred to as "periodic procedure data") including a trigger that a preset regular timing such as once a day has arrived is registered. The trigger of the periodic procedure data of this embodiment may further include a condition of entering a predetermined location range such as a home or workplace.

[0042] The action of the periodic procedure data in this embodiment includes, for example, a procedure for determining whether there is an unprocessed schedule, and for activating the print application 22 when it is determined that there is an unprocessed schedule. An unprocessed schedule is a schedule registered in the schedule application 23 that has not been processed by the print application 22, such as a newly registered schedule or a schedule for which execution of processing has been postponed. The print application 22 in this embodiment generates, for example, a print job for creating a label to be affixed to a schedule book as processing for a schedule registered in the schedule application 23.

[0043] The procedure of the processing of the print application 22 etc. based on the periodic procedure data will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 3. If the periodic procedure data is not registered, the electronic device 1 does not execute the operation shown in Fig. 3. The processing of the OS 21 shown in Fig. 3 includes processing by the linking program 211.

[0044] The print application 22 in this embodiment accepts an instruction to register template information 221 and printer information 222 in advance through a user operation (S201). The template information 221 is information that associates schedule attributes with template types, for example, as shown in Fig. 4. The template information 221 is an example of template correspondence information, and the schedule attributes are an example of attributes of data to be printed.

[0045] The attribute of a schedule is information for classifying a schedule, such as business, important, private, and holiday. The attribute of a schedule may simply be information indicating whether or not the schedule is important, or may be information indicating whether or not the schedule is changeable. The schedule application 23 can accept a user's designation of the attribute of a schedule when registering the schedule, and stores the designated attribute information in association with the schedule.

[0046] The type of template is information about the template used when printing the schedule label, and includes, for example, frame information, font information, and size information. An important template corresponding to an important schedule is, for example, no frame, bold font, and the size of the weekday column in the schedule book. The template may include a background image, as well as specific characters, marks, emoticons, and the like.

[0047] The print application 22 of this embodiment is provided with a plurality of types of templates in advance, and for example, based on a user instruction, stores the type of template selected for each attribute of the schedule in the template information 221. The print application 22 may have template information 221 in which template information is stored in advance. Furthermore, the print application 22 may receive an instruction to create a new template or an instruction to edit each template.

[0048] 5, the printer information 222 is information indicating the correspondence between printer identification information and information indicating schedule attributes or template types or installation locations for each printer connectable to the electronic device 1. The printer information 222 indicating the correspondence between a printer and schedule attributes is an example of first printer compatibility information. The printer information 222 indicating the correspondence between a printer and template types is an example of second printer compatibility information.

[0049] When multiple printers selectable as destinations of a print job are registered, the print application 22 receives information on the schedule attributes, template type, or installation location for each printer based on the user's designation, and stores the received information in the printer information 222. Note that if there is only one connectable printer, the printer information 222 may not be necessary. Also, while FIG. 5 illustrates the printer information 222 including all information on the schedule attributes, template type, and installation location, it may include information on one or more of these.

[0050] The print application 22 registers the template information 221 and the printer information 222 in the memory 12 based on a registration instruction from the user (S202). S202 for registering the printer information 222 is an example of a first registration process, a second registration process, and a third registration process.

[0051] The user also executes the schedule application 23 at any time and issues an instruction to register or edit a schedule (S205). The schedule application 23 registers a schedule based on the user's instruction (S206), and passes information indicating that the instruction to register or edit has been accepted to the OS 21 (S207).

[0052] The linking program 211 of the OS 21 judges whether or not a periodic timing corresponding to the trigger of the periodic procedure data has arrived based on the clock function of the electronic device 1 (S211). If it is judged that it is a periodic timing (alt: [YES]), the linking program 211 judges that the trigger of the periodic procedure data has been met and starts the action of the periodic procedure data. If it is judged that it is not a periodic timing, the linking program 211 does not execute the action of the periodic procedure data.

[0053] As an action for periodic procedure data, the linking program 211 first judges whether there is a new or saved schedule (S212). A new schedule is a schedule that has been registered or edited between the previous periodic timing and the current periodic timing, and a saved schedule is a schedule that has been saved in the memory 12 by a procedure to be described later.

[0054] If it is determined that there is a new or saved schedule (alt: [Yes]), the linking program 211 starts the print application 22 (S215) and passes input information including information on the new or saved schedule to the print application 22 (S216). This starts the print application 22, and the print application 22 acquires the input information from the linking program 211. S216 is an example of an acquisition process. After S216, the linking program 211 ends the action of the periodic procedure data. Note that if it is determined that there is no new or saved schedule, the linking program 211 does not start the print application 22 and ends the action of the periodic procedure data.

[0055] When the print application 22 receives input information including schedule information at the time of startup, the print application 22 does not execute the manual output process described above, but starts a preset operation corresponding to the input information. The print application 22 first inquires of the OS 21 as to whether the electronic device 1 is in a locked state and obtains a response (S221).

[0056] Then, the print application 22 displays a selection screen on the user IF 13 to accept the selection of whether to print or not based on the schedule information acquired as input information, and accepts the user's selection (S222). S222 is an example of a notification process and an acceptance process. Note that, when there are multiple schedules acquired as input information, the print application 22 may display a selection screen for each schedule, or may display them all together on one selection screen and accept a response for each schedule.

[0057] In S222, the printing application 22 performs notification of different contents depending on whether the electronic device 1 is in a locked state or not, based on the answer acquired in S221. In the locked state, the printing application 22 displays a selection screen that does not include content information indicating the content of the data to be printed, as shown in Fig. 6, for example, and in the unlocked state, displays a selection screen that includes content information of the data to be printed, as shown in Fig. 7, for example.

[0058] In the locked state, there are restrictions on the information that can be input compared to the unlocked state, so by making the notification content different between the locked state and the unlocked state, it is possible to display appropriate for each state. For example, in the locked state, there is a high possibility that a third party is holding the electronic device 1, so security can be improved by not including the content information in the notification. On the other hand, in the unlocked state, there is a high possibility that the electronic device 1 is held by the user himself, so by notifying the user including the content information, it is easy for the user to understand what kind of printing will be performed. Note that in the locked state, there may be restrictions on the amount of data that can be displayed on the screen, so the amount of messages may be smaller than in the unlocked state.

[0059] The print application 22 accepts the selection of "Print", "Don't print", or "Notify later" on the displayed selection screen. When the print application 22 accepts the selection of "Notify later" on the selection screen (alt:[Later]), it hides the selection screen and passes an instruction to the OS 21 to save information on the schedule that is the subject of this notification (S223). S223 is an example of a saving process. After S223, the print application 22 proceeds to S251 and terminates itself. Note that if the schedule that is the subject of this notification is a saved schedule that has already been saved, the print application 22 skips S223 and terminates.

[0060] The OS 21 saves the schedule information based on an instruction from the print application 22 (S224). If there is schedule information saved in S224, the OS 21 determines in the above-mentioned S212 that there is a saved schedule. By accepting the print selection again at a timing different from the current notification, it is expected that printing can be done at a timing desired by the user. Note that if the print application 22 does not accept a selection even after a predetermined time has elapsed after displaying the selection screen, it may instruct saving of the schedule information and end, as in the case where the selection of "notify later" is accepted.

[0061] When the print application 22 receives a selection of "Print" on the displayed selection screen (alt: [Print]), and further, based on the answer acquired in S221, if the screen is in a locked state (alt: [Locked state]), the print application 22 passes an instruction to the OS 21 to receive information to release the lock (S225). The print application 22 receives a selection of whether or not to execute printing even in a locked state, but requests that the lock be released if execution is selected. This makes it possible to inhibit printing by a third party and to increase security.

[0062] Based on an instruction from the print application 22, the OS 21 causes the user IF 13 to display an unlocking screen for accepting unlocking information for releasing the locked state (S226). The user inputs the unlocking information for releasing the locked state on the unlocking screen (S227). The OS 21 determines whether the entered unlocking information is appropriate, and if it determines that the information is not appropriate, it causes the OS 21 to display the unlocking screen again and maintains the locked state until it accepts the entry of appropriate unlocking information. On the other hand, if it determines that appropriate unlocking information has been entered, the OS 21 releases the locked state and becomes an unlocked state.

[0063] When the OS 21 is put into the unlocked state by the user's operation, the OS 21 passes information indicating that the state has been unlocked to the print application 22 (S228). Note that the print application 22 may terminate itself if a predetermined time has passed without receiving information indicating that the state has been unlocked after an instruction to display the release screen.

[0064] When the print application 22 receives a response that the schedule is not in a locked state in S221, or after receiving the information in S228, the print application 22 acquires attribute information indicating attributes of the schedule to be printed (S231). The attribute information is, for example, information designated by the user when registering the schedule, and is, for example, included in the input information received from the OS 21. The OS 21 also acquires information on the schedule attributes as information on the schedule to be printed from the schedule application 23, and passes it to the print application 22. By acquiring attribute information on the schedule to be printed from the OS 21, it is easier to acquire the attribute information than when the print application 22 analyzes the attributes.

[0065] If the input information does not include attribute information of the schedule, the print application 22 may, for example, analyze the text of the schedule to be printed to obtain the attributes of the schedule. For example, the print application 22 may determine that the text is business if it includes a company name or a department name, that the text is important if it includes characters such as important or urgent, that the text is private if it includes the names of family or friends, and that the text is a holiday if it includes date information indicating a holiday. S231 in which the print application 22 analyzes the schedule to obtain attribute information is an example of an analysis process. If the print application 22 analyzes the attributes of the schedule to be printed, there is no need to associate the attributes when registering the schedule, which can further reduce the user's efforts.

[0066] The print application 22 selects a template based on the attributes of the schedule (S232). S232 is an example of a template selection process. The print application 22 uses the template information 221 (see FIG. 4) to select a template registered in correspondence with the attribute information of the schedule. Furthermore, the print application 22 places text indicating the contents of the schedule in the selected template, and generates a print job based on the placed image (S233).

[0067] Furthermore, the print application 22 selects a destination printer to output the print job (S234). The print application 22 selects a destination printer, for example, using the attribute information acquired in S231 and the printer information 222. For example, if the attribute of the schedule is business, the print application 22 selects the first printer 3, which is a printer at work, as the destination printer, and if the attribute of the schedule is private, the print application 22 selects the second printer 4, which is a printer at home, as the destination printer. In this case, S234 is an example of a first printer selection process. By selecting a printer that corresponds to the attribute of the schedule to be printed from among the registered printers, it is possible to output to a printer that matches the attribute of the schedule to be printed.

[0068] The print application 22 may select a printer using the type of template selected in S232 and the printer information 222. For example, if the selected template is a business template, the print application 22 may select the first printer 3, which is a printer at work, and if the selected template is a private template, the print application 22 may select the second printer 4, which is a printer at home. In this case, S234 is an example of a second printer selection process. By selecting a printer corresponding to the selected template from among the registered printers, it is possible to output to a printer that matches the template.

[0069] The print application 22 may also obtain information on the location of the electronic device 1 from the OS 21, and select a printer installed near the location of the electronic device 1 based on the obtained information. The OS 21 may obtain information on the location of the electronic device 1, for example, by the location detection unit 15 (see FIG. 1). Information on the installation location of each printer is registered in the printer information 222. For example, when the print application 22 determines that the location of the electronic device 1 is a workplace based on the location information obtained from the OS 21, it may select the first printer 3 installed at the workplace, and when the print application 22 determines that the location of the electronic device 1 is a home, it may select the second printer 4 installed at the home. In this case, S234 is an example of a location obtaining process and a third printer selection process. By selecting a printer based on the printer location information and the current location information of the electronic device 1, it is possible to output to a printer located in a position that is easy for the user to use.

[0070] The print application 22 outputs the print job generated in S233 to the destination printer selected in S234 (S235). S235 is an example of an automatic output process. The print application 22 may notify information about the generated print job and the selected printer via the user IF 13.

[0071] If the print application 22 cannot connect to the output destination printer selected in S234, it may display a message notifying the user that the connection is not possible, or it may store the print job once and print it the next time the print application 22 is started. If the print application 22 cannot connect to the output destination printer selected in S234, it may search for a connectable printer and switch to another connectable printer for output.

[0072] The printer that has accepted the print job executes printing based on the accepted print job (S241), thereby creating a printout based on the layout image in which new or saved schedule information is laid out in the selected template.

[0073] If the print target this time is a saved schedule, the print application 22 instructs the OS 21 to delete the schedule information (S236) and terminates itself (S251). As a result, the printed schedule will not be the target of future notifications. If the print target is not a saved schedule, the print application 22 skips S236 and terminates.

[0074] Furthermore, when the print application 22 receives a selection of "Do not print" on the selection screen displayed in S222 (alt: [Do not print]), if the subject of this notification is a saved schedule, it instructs the OS 21 to delete the information of that schedule (S238) and terminates itself (S251). If the subject of the notification is not a saved schedule but a new schedule, the print application 22 skips S238 and terminates. A new schedule for which "Do not print" was selected will not be saved and will not be the subject of future notifications. The print application 22 of this embodiment receives a selection of whether or not to execute printing in the notification, and therefore can avoid unwanted printing.

[0075] As described above in detail, when the print application 22 described in this specification is started by the linking program 211 based on periodic procedure data, it receives input information from the linking program 211 and selects a template based on the received input information. Furthermore, the print application 22 generates a print job for printing an arrangement image in which the data to be printed is arranged on the template, and automatically outputs the generated print job to the first printer 3 or the second printer 4. This reduces the user's effort when printing an arrangement image, compared to when the user selects a template every time the arrangement image is printed.

[0076] Although the procedure based on the periodic procedure data has been described in detail above, other procedure data may be registered in the electronic device 1. In other words, the electronic device 1 may have registered therein procedure data that is executed in response to a trigger other than the periodic timing and that includes the start of the print application 22 as an action.

[0077] Next, an example of the operation of the print application 22 when it is started by the linking program 211 based on procedure data different from the periodic procedure data will be described. Even when the print application 22 is started based on other procedure data, it receives trigger information as input information from the OS 21. The print application 22 determines the operation after starting based on the received input information.

[0078] For example, when started by procedure data triggered by receiving an e-mail, the print application 22 receives, as input information, information on the title and sender of the received e-mail. If the print application 22 determines, for example, that the e-mail is a specified order e-mail based on the information on the title of the e-mail received as input information, it notifies the user whether or not to print a destination label. When the print application 22 receives a printing instruction from the user, it selects a template for the destination label, generates a print job in which the e-mail sender information is placed in the selected template, and outputs the generated print job to a specified printer.

[0079] For example, when the printing application 22 is started by the procedure data triggered by the position of the electronic device 1 entering within a predetermined position range, for example, near a predetermined seat, the printing application 22 receives, as input information, information indicating that the electronic device 1 has entered within the predetermined position range. Based on the input information, the printing application 22 notifies, for example, whether to print the date and time when the user sat down at the predetermined seat. When the printing application 22 receives an instruction to print from the user, it selects a template for time stamping, generates a print job in which the user's name and date and time information are arranged in the selected template, and outputs the generated print job to a predetermined printer.

[0080] For example, when the electronic device 1 is started by procedure data triggered by the establishment of wireless communication with a predetermined party, the print application 22 receives information on the communication party as input information. For example, when wireless communication with a printer for an event is established at the reception of an event, the print application 22 notifies whether or not to print an event reception ticket based on the input information. When the print application 22 receives an instruction to print from a user, the print application 22 selects a template for the reception ticket, generates a print job in which the user's name and date and time information are arranged in the selected template, and outputs the generated print job to the connected printer.

[0081] For example, when the printing application 22 is started by procedure data triggered by the arrival of a schedule date and time registered in the schedule application 23, the printing application 22 receives the arrived schedule information as input information. For example, the printing application 22 notifies whether or not to print photos taken during a period corresponding to the information received as input information. When a printing instruction is received from a user, the printing application 22 selects a template for photos, generates a print job in which schedule information and photos are arranged in the selected template, and outputs the generated print job to a specified printer. The printing application 22 may select a template in which multiple photos can be arranged.

[0082] It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, the present invention can be modified and improved in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the electronic device 1 is not limited to a portable device, but may be a stationary personal computer or the like. Furthermore, the printer connected to the electronic device 1 is not limited to a printer only, but may be a multifunction device, a copier, a fax machine, or any other device having both a communication function and a printing function.

[0083] In this embodiment, the printing application 22 has image data of each template and generates a layout image in which the contents of the schedule, etc. are laid out on the template, but the printer may have the image data of the template and a compositing function. In that case, the printing application 22 outputs a print job including information indicating the selected template, information indicating the contents of the schedule, and a compositing instruction to the printer, and the printer composites the image of the template and the image of the schedule and prints based on the composite image.

[0084] Also, for example, if the print application 22 is unable to select a template because the attributes of the schedule cannot be acquired, or a template corresponding to the acquired attributes is not registered, etc., the print application 22 may select a predetermined template or may not use a template. Also, if the print application 22 is unable to select a template, the print application 22 may extract and suggest a frequently used template based on the stored print log.

[0085] Also, for example, the print application 22 of the present embodiment selects the output printer based on various information, but the output printer may be determined in advance. For example, all schedule labels may be printed on the second printer 4 at home. In that case, the printer information may be received from the link program 211 as input information for the periodic procedure data, or may be registered in the print application 22 corresponding to the periodic procedure data.

[0086] In addition, in this embodiment, the print application 22 accepts the selection of whether or not to print, but if there is a new schedule, the print job may be automatically generated and automatically output. In that case, the print application 22 may notify the user that the print job has been output after outputting the print job. Also, the option to "notify later" does not have to be provided. However, by making "notify later" selectable, printing can be performed at a different timing, improving user convenience.

[0087] Also, for example, it is not necessary to determine whether the electronic device 1 is in a locked state. In other words, when the print application 22 receives a selection of "print", it may generate and output a print job even in a locked state. However, since there is a possibility that the electronic device 1 was simply touched inadvertently in a locked state, by receiving a request to release the lock, it is possible to confirm the user's clear intention.

[0088] In addition, in the present embodiment, when the selection of "notify later" is accepted, the process of acquiring attribute information of the schedule and the process of selecting a template are also performed later, but this is not limited to the above. For example, when the schedule information does not include attribute information, the print application 22 may analyze the wording of the schedule to acquire attribute information, and then instruct the OS 21 to save the schedule information to which the attribute information has been added in S223. Also, for example, even when the print application 22 accepts the selection of "notify later", it may go as far as to select a template, and instruct the OS 21 to save the schedule information and the information of the selected template in S223.

[0089] Also, for example, in this embodiment, when the print application 22 is started based on the procedure data, it is assumed that the print application 22 terminates itself when the processing is completed, but it does not have to terminate.

[0090] In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the execution order of multiple processes in any of the steps can be changed as desired or the processes can be executed in parallel, as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0091] The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be executed by a single CPU, multiple CPUs, hardware such as ASIC, or a combination of these. The processes disclosed in the embodiments may be realized in various forms, such as a recording medium having a program for executing the processes recorded thereon, or a method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1. Electronic Devices 3. First Printer 4. Second Printer 11 CPU 13 User Interface

Claims

1. An application program executable by a computer of an information processing device, wherein an operating system of the information processing device has an automatic function, and the automatic function is a function in which, when procedure data indicating a series of procedures of a plurality of functions or operations and a start condition that is a condition for starting the series of procedures is registered in the operating system, the operating system automatically executes the series of procedures in response to the start condition being satisfied, the application program may be started based on a user operation using a user interface of the information processing device, or may be started based on an automatic function of the operating system; The application program further includes template correspondence information indicating a correspondence between attributes of data to be printed and template information, Furthermore, the application program The computer includes: execute a manual output process, when the process is started based on a user operation using the user interface of the information processing device, to accept a selection of data to be printed using the user interface, and to output a print job based on the selected data to be printed; The computer further comprises: when started based on the automatic function of the operating system, the application program executes an acquisition process for acquiring input information including data to be printed, the input information being input from the operating system at the time of startup; a template selection process for selecting a template using the template correspondence information based on attributes of the data to be printed acquired in the acquisition process; and an automatic output process for outputting to the printer a print job for causing a printer to print an arrangement image in which the data to be printed acquired in the acquisition process is arranged on the template selected by the template selection process, and when the application program is started based on the automatic function of the operating system, the operating system passes the input information to the application program.

1. An application program comprising:

2. 2. The application program according to claim 1, In the acquisition process, acquiring the input information including the data to be printed and attribute information indicating attributes of the data to be printed, and when starting the application program by the automatic function, the operating system passes the input information including the data to be printed and the attribute information to the application program; In the template selection process, selecting a template using the template correspondence information based on the attributes indicated in the attribute information acquired in the acquisition process; 1. An application program comprising:

3. 2. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: executes an analysis process for analyzing attributes of the data to be printed that is acquired in the acquisition process when the data is started based on the automatic function of the operating system; In the template selection process, selecting a template using the template correspondence information based on the attributes of the data to be printed analyzed in the analysis process; 1. An application program comprising:

4. 4. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: when started based on the automatic function of the operating system, a notification process is executed to cause the user interface of the information processing device to provide a notification based on the input information, and a display mode of the user interface of the information processing device includes a locked state in which some input through the user interface is restricted, and an unlocked state which is not the locked state, and the notification content by the notification process in the locked state is different from that in the unlocked state; 1. An application program comprising:

5. 5. The application program according to claim 4, In the notification process, In the unlocked state, the notification content includes content information indicating the content of the data to be printed, and in the locked state, the notification content does not include the content information.

1. An application program comprising:

6. 6. The application program according to claim 4, The computer includes: when the notification process is executed based on the automatic function of the operating system, after the acquisition process and before the automatic output process, In the notification process, As the notification, a notification is given requesting the user to select whether or not to perform printing based on the input information; The computer includes: After the notification process, a reception process is executed to receive a selection of whether or not to perform printing based on the input information, and the automatic output process is executed on the condition that the selection of performing printing based on the input information is received in the reception process.

1. An application program comprising:

7. 7. The application program according to claim 6, The computer includes: When the reception process receives a selection to perform printing based on the input information, if the input information is in the unlocked state, the automatic output process is executed, whereas if the input information is in the locked state, a screen for releasing the locked state is displayed on the user interface of the information processing device, and the automatic output process is executed on the condition that the input information is changed from the locked state to the unlocked state.

1. An application program comprising:

8. 8. The application program according to claim 6 or 7, In the reception process, After the notification process, a selection is accepted as to whether or not to perform printing based on the input information, or whether to perform printing at another timing; The computer includes: When the reception process accepts a selection to print at another time, a storage process is executed to store the input information acquired in the acquisition process, and the automatic output process is not executed. Furthermore, in the reception process, If there is the input information stored, a selection is received as to whether or not to print the stored input information and the input information acquired in the acquisition process, and whether or not to print the input information at the different timing; Furthermore, in the automatic output process, when a selection to print the stored input information is accepted, a print job is output to the printer to print, on the printer, the data to be printed, which is included in the stored input information, and an arrangement image arranged on the template selected in the template selection process; 1. An application program comprising:

9. 9. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: Executing a first registration process for registering first printer correspondence information indicating the correspondence between attributes of the data and information of the printer; The computer further comprises: executes a first printer selection process for selecting a printer using the first printer compatibility information based on the attributes of the data to be printed acquired in the acquisition process when the process is started based on the automatic function of the operating system; In the automatic output process, outputting the print job to the printer selected in the first printer selection process; 1. An application program comprising:

10. 9. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: executing a second registration process for registering second printer correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the template information and the printer information; The computer further comprises: executing a second printer selection process for selecting a printer using the second printer correspondence information based on the template selected in the template selection process when the process is started based on the automatic function of the operating system; In the automatic output process, outputting the print job to the printer selected in the second printer selection process; 1. An application program comprising:

11. 9. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: a third registration process is executed to register the location information of the printer, and the third registration process is capable of registering the location information of a plurality of printers; The computer further comprises: executes a location acquisition process for acquiring location information of the information processing device from the operating system when the information processing device is started based on the automatic function of the operating system, and a third printer selection process for selecting a printer based on the location information of the information processing device acquired in the location acquisition process and the location information of each printer registered in the third registration process; In the automatic output process, outputting the print job to the printer selected in the third printer selection process; 1. An application program comprising:

Images