Application Program

Abstract

To provide a technique for reducing the operating labor of a user when a printer placed in a remote location is made to print an image in an information processor in which an automatic function is mounted on an operating system.SOLUTION: An operating system (OS) 21 of an electronic device 1 has a connection program 211 for automatically performing an action of procedural data in response to detection of a trigger, when the procedural data indicating the trigger and the action is registered. A printing application 22 is activated based on user operations or is activated by the connection program 211. When activated based on the user operations, the printer application 22 makes a CPU 11 execute manual output processing. When activated by the connection program 211, the printing application 22 obtains input information including data to be printed from the OS 21 when activated, obtains connection information for connecting with a server 3 outside a local network, and outputs a print job based on the data to be printed to a printer 4 through the server 3.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 outputting a print instruction to a printer installed in a remote location. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration having a management server, an administrator terminal, and printers in multiple stores in remote locations, in which a web server attaches print data to an email and sends it to a PC in each store, the printer in each store prints, the web server receives the print results from the PC in each store, and sends the print results to the administrator terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-193302 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 allows procedure data indicating a series of procedures for multiple functions and operations to be registered in the OS, and the OS automatically executes the functions and operations according to the registered procedure data. By using this automatic function, the work performed by the user until a specified output is obtained can be automated, greatly reducing the operational burden on the user. Even when sending a print instruction to a printer in a remote location 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 user's trouble when printing an image on a printer installed in a remote location in an information processing device having an automatic function installed in the operating system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An application 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 the operating system automatically executing a series of procedures of a plurality of functions or operations in response to satisfaction of a start condition, when procedure data indicating a start condition for starting the series of procedures is registered in the operating system, 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 the application program is further configured to cause 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 a print target acquisition process which acquires input information input from the operating system at startup, the input information including the data to be printed, a connection information acquisition process which acquires connection information for connecting to a specific server outside the local network which connects to a printer, and an automatic output process which outputs a print job to the printer via the specific server using the connection information acquired in the connection information acquisition process, the print job printing based on the data to be printed included in the input information acquired in the print target acquisition process.

[0007] When the application program disclosed in this specification is started based on an automatic function of the OS, it receives input information including information indicating data to be printed at the time of start-up, and further acquires connection information for using a printer connected to a server outside the local network. The application program then uses the acquired connection information to output a print job for printing based on the data to be printed. As a result, when the start conditions included in the registered procedure data are satisfied, the print job is automatically output to the printer via the server. Therefore, compared to the case where the user inputs connection information to a printer outside the local network every time the user wants to print to the printer, the user's effort when printing to a printer located in a remote location outside the local network can be reduced.

[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 of a user when printing an image on a printer installed in a remote location in an information processing device having an automatic function installed in its operating system. [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 in response to a schedule notification. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image to be printed. [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an image to be printed. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of an output destination determination process. [Figure 7] 11 is a sequence diagram showing a procedure of a process performed by a print application when the print application is started in response to a schedule notification. FIG. 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] As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic device 1 of this 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 camera 15, which are electrically connected to the controller 10. The electronic device 1 is an example of an information processing device. 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.

[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.

[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 IF 14 may use a communication method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), USB, or NFC (short for Near Field Communication). The electronic device 1 may use the communication IF 14 as a communication method that supports a plurality of communication methods.

[0016] Camera 15 has a photographing function and includes hardware for taking still images and videos based on a user's operation and storing the image data in memory 12. The image data of the photograph taken by camera 15 may be stored with various information added thereto, such as the photographing date and time, the photographing location, the photographing conditions, etc.

[0017] The electronic device 1 may further include various detection units that detect various states of the electronic device 1. The electronic device 1 may include, as the detection units, a position detection unit that detects the position of the electronic device 1 in the direction of the earth's surface using a GPS or the like, an attitude detection unit that detects the inclination of the electronic device 1 with respect to the direction of gravity using a gyroscope or the like, a light amount detection unit that detects the brightness around the electronic device 1 using an illuminance sensor or the like, and the like.

[0018] 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).

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.

[0021] 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.

[0022] 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. For example, when the electronic device 1 does not accept any operation for a predetermined consecutive period of time or more, the electronic device 1 enters a locked state and displays, for example, a screen for a predetermined locked state, thereby restricting some of the operations on the user IF 13.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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 having 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. Details of the operation of the print application 22 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] As shown in Fig. 1, the electronic device 1 of this embodiment further incorporates a calendar application 23 and a photo application 24. The calendar application 23 is an application that accepts schedule input and notification designation by the user, and notifies the schedule based on the accepted designation. For example, when the calendar application 23 accepts designation of a planned attendance date of an event or the like and designation of notification on the morning of that day, it outputs notification information to the OS 21 on the morning of the designated planned attendance date. The calendar application 23 also accepts instructions for setting a regular schedule such as the end of the month and for notification, and issues regular notifications based on the set schedule.

[0028] The photo application 24 is an application that manages image data such as photos and videos taken by the camera 15, and displays and edits them based on a user's instruction. For example, the photo application 24 can extract photos that meet specified conditions based on the shooting date, the subject, etc. from the photos stored in the memory 12.

[0029] The electronic device 1 of this embodiment can be connected to the Internet 100 via the communication IF 14. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, a server 3 and a printer 4 are each connected to the Internet 100. In the state shown in Fig. 1, the printer 4 is outside the local network of the electronic device 1, and the electronic device 1 and the printer 4 are not directly connected. Note that the electronic device 1 and the printer 4 may or may not be directly connected to each other.

[0030] The server 3 is, for example, a cloud server on the Internet 100, which accepts registration of account information and accepts access using the registered account information. The server 3 then stores data uploaded using the account information in association with the account information. The electronic device 1 and the printer 4 can access a common area of ​​the server 3 by sharing the account information. Specifically, the electronic device 1 can upload a print job to the server 3 using the account information, and the printer 4 can download and obtain the print job uploaded by the electronic device 1 using the same account information.

[0031] The printer 4 is a device capable of executing printing based on a print job generated by the print application 22. The printing method of the printer 4 is, for example, an electrophotographic method or an inkjet method. The printer 4 of this embodiment stores the address information and account information of the server 3, and periodically or upon receiving a notification from the server 3, automatically accesses the server 3, downloads the print job from the server 3, and prints it.

[0032] Next, examples of various operations performed by the print application 22 will be described with reference to sequence diagrams and the like. 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 description of the OS 21 will be omitted and the operation of the program will be described.

[0033] 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 designated and launched based on a user operation on the user IF 13, for example, by the user operating an application icon.

[0034] In the manual output process, the CPU 11 displays a pre-prepared top screen (S101) and accepts user operations. The CPU 11 accepts the selection of data to be printed and printing parameters based on the user operations (S102). If a printer has not been selected, the CPU 11 also accepts the selection of a printer. The CPU 11 then determines whether or not a print execution instruction has been accepted (S103), and if not (S103: NO), accepts further user operations.

[0035] 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, or may be a server 3 shared with the printer 4.

[0036] After transmitting 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, and information indicating the date and time when the printing was performed, all of which are associated with one another. The print log may also include information indicating print parameters. Furthermore, the information indicating the data to be printed may also include information indicating the color of the coloring material to be used to print the data.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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 start-up information, which is information on the trigger of the procedure data, to the started print application 22.

[0039] 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.

[0040] When the print application 22 is started based on the procedure data by the function of the linking program 211, the print application 22 receives input information input from the linking program 211 and determines a processing procedure after the start based on the received input information. For example, the determination procedure for determining the data to be printed differs for each start information included in the input information.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] The electronic device 1 of this embodiment is assumed to have registered therein procedure data (hereinafter, referred to as "calendar procedure data") whose trigger includes the output of notification information from the calendar application 23. The trigger of the calendar procedure data of this embodiment includes, for example, the satisfaction of both a schedule notification from the calendar application 23 and the arrival of a predetermined time or entry into a predetermined location range. The arrival of a predetermined time means that a pre-specified time has come, such as after work. Entry into a predetermined location range means, for example, entry within a predetermined distance from a registered home location, that is, returning home.

[0044] The actions of the calendar procedure data in this embodiment include, for example, the extraction of photos by the photo application 24, the launch of the print application 22, and the procedure of passing the notified schedule information and the photo information extracted by the photo application 24 to the print application 22 as input information.

[0045] The action of the calendar procedure data may further include a procedure for passing information indicating the output destination of the print job, for example, connection information for connecting to the output destination, as input information to the print application 22. For example, the above-mentioned registration application or the like may receive a designation of the output destination when registering the calendar procedure data in the electronic device 1, and incorporate the connection information into the calendar procedure data based on the received information. The registration application or the like may obtain the connection information from the OS 21 based on the designation of the output destination. For example, when the printer 4 is designated as the output destination, the registration application or the like may obtain the connection information of the server 3 and incorporate it into the procedure data.

[0046] The processing of the print application 22 and the like based on the calendar procedure data will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of Fig. 3. If the calendar 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.

[0047] The printing application 22 accepts an instruction to register information indicating the output destination of the print job in advance by a user operation (S201). For example, based on a user instruction, the printing application 22 registers connection information for connecting to a specified device as one of the output destinations of the print job (S202). S202 is an example of a connection information registration process. For example, the printing application 22 accepts registration of address information and account information of the server 3 as connection information indicating the output destination when printing is performed on the printer 4. In the manual output process described above, the printing application 22 accepts selection of one of the connection information registered in the printing application 22 as the output destination of the print job.

[0048] As described above, the calendar application 23 accepts the input of the schedule and the notification specification in advance (S203), and outputs the notification information to the OS 21 when the notification timing based on the accepted specification arrives (S204). When the notification information is input to the OS 21, the linking program 211 determines whether or not the condition registered as a trigger in each procedure data registered in the electronic device 1 is satisfied based on the input notification information (S205).

[0049] If the trigger of the calendar procedure data is registered as "after returning home on the planned day of participation in the event," the linking program 211 determines that the trigger has been detected, for example, after receiving a notification of the planned day of participation from the calendar application and after returning home on that day. Also, if the night at the end of the month of each month is registered as the trigger of the calendar procedure data, the linking program 211 determines that the trigger has been detected, for example, at a predetermined time on that day after receiving a notification of the end of the month from the calendar application 23.

[0050] When the link program 211 of the OS 21 determines that the trigger is satisfied based on the notification information from the calendar application 23 (alt:[trigger]), it starts the action of the calendar procedure data.

[0051] As an action of the calendar procedure data, the linking program 211 first starts the photo application 24 and instructs the photo application 24 to extract a photo based on the notification information output from the calendar application 23 (S211). The photo application 24 extracts a photo based on the instruction from the linking program 211 (S212). For example, the calendar procedure data may be registered with an instruction to extract a photo taken during a period corresponding to the notification information, for example, during the same day or during the same month, in which a person is photographed, as an extraction target. In this case, the photo application 24 extracts a person photo taken during the specified period. When the linking program 211 receives information on the extraction result from the photo application 24 (S213), it ends the photo application 24 (S214).

[0052] When the linking program 211 determines that a corresponding photo is present based on the information received from the photo application 24 (alt: [Photo present]), it starts the print application 22 (S221) and passes input information including schedule information based on the notification from the calendar application 23 and information on the photo extracted by the photo application 24 to the print application 22 (S222). S222 is an example of a print target acquisition process. As a result, the print application 22 is started, and the print application 22 receives the input information from the linking program 211.

[0053] After S221 and S222, the linking program 211 ends the action of the calendar procedure data. If the photo application 24 does not extract a photo that meets the extraction condition, the linking program 211 may end the action of the calendar procedure data without starting the print application 22.

[0054] When the print application 22 receives input information including schedule information at the time of startup, it does not execute the manual output process described above, but starts a preset operation corresponding to the input information. As the preset operation, 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 (S225).

[0055] If it is in a locked state (alt: [locked state]), the print application 22 passes an instruction to the OS 21 to display a notification on the user IF 13 (S226). S226 is an example of a notification process in the locked state. The print application 22 displays a notification screen including, for example, information on the notified schedule, a message recommending printing the photo on a remote printer, and a button for receiving an input of whether to print the photo. As a result, a notification screen recommending printing is displayed on the user IF 13 via the OS 21, and the OS 21 receives the user's selection. The process of receiving the selection on the notification screen based on S226 is an example of a reception process. By receiving a selection of whether to execute printing, unwanted printing can be avoided.

[0056] When the OS21 receives an instruction to execute printing on the displayed notification screen, it causes the user IF13 to display an unlocking screen that receives input of unlocking information for unlocking the locked state (S227). The user inputs the unlocking information for unlocking the locked state on the unlocking screen (S228). The OS21 determines whether the input unlocking information is appropriate, and if it determines that the information is not appropriate, it causes the OS21 to display the unlocking screen again and maintains the locked state until it receives input of appropriate unlocking information. On the other hand, if it determines that appropriate unlocking information has been input, the OS21 releases the locked state and becomes unlocked.

[0057] When the OS 21 is put into the unlocked state by a user operation, the OS 21 passes information indicating that the state has been unlocked to the print application 22. This causes the print application 22 to proceed to the next operation. Note that when the OS 21 receives an instruction not to execute printing on the notification screen, the OS 21 passes the information to the print application 22. When the print application 22 receives information indicating that the state has been unlocked from the OS 21, or when a predetermined time has passed without receiving information indicating that the state has been unlocked after the notification screen is displayed, the print application 22 may terminate itself.

[0058] The print application 22 accepts the selection of whether or not to execute printing even in the locked state, but requests the unlocking of the lock state when execution is selected. This makes it possible to prevent printing by a third party and to increase security.

[0059] If the print application 22 receives a response that the image is not in a locked state in S225, or receives information that the image is in an unlocked state after S225, the print application 22 displays an image selection screen for accepting the selection of an image to be printed on the user IF 13 (S231). S231 is an example of a notification process in an unlocked state. The print application 22 displays, for example, a list of photos extracted by the photo application 24 as images to be selected, and accepts the user's selection (S232).

[0060] In this embodiment, the notification contents are different between the locked state and the unlocked state. Since the information that can be input is different between the locked state and the unlocked state, appropriate input can be accepted by performing a notification appropriate for each state. Specifically, the notification in the unlocked state includes content information indicating the content of the data to be printed, such as a thumbnail, and the notification in the locked state does not include content information. In the locked state, there is a high possibility that a third party holds the electronic device 1, so security can be improved by not including 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 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 a restriction on the amount of data that can be displayed on the screen, and the amount of messages may be smaller than that in the unlocked state.

[0061] The print application 22 may accept an instruction not to execute printing on the image selection screen. If the print application 22 does not accept an instruction input even after a predetermined time has elapsed after displaying the image selection screen in S231, or if the print application 22 accepts an instruction not to execute printing on the image selection screen, the print application 22 may terminate itself.

[0062] When the selection of the photo to be printed is accepted, the print application 22 generates a print job based on the image data of the selected photo (S235). When the print application 22 is started based on, for example, calendar procedure data, the print application 22 may generate a print job using a template based on schedule information acquired as input information at the time of start-up. For example, the input information passed to the print application 22 at the time of start-up may also include information specifying a template.

[0063] Alternatively, the print application 22 may accept registration of a template to be used in advance in response to the type of the notified schedule, for example. The print application 22 accepts registration of a template that specifies the arrangement of text information indicating the date and event content and image data of a selected photo, as shown in FIG. 4, in response to a schedule of a school event or a family event, for example. The print application 22 also accepts registration of a template that specifies the arrangement of calendar data for the next month and image data of a selected photo, as shown in FIG. 5, in response to a periodic creation schedule such as the end of the month of each month. The calendar data may be acquired by the print application 22 from the OS 21, or may be included in the input information. The process in which the print application 22 accepts registration of a template is an example of a template registration process.

[0064] If a template is registered, the print application 22 selects a registered template based on the type of schedule included in the input information, and generates a print job based on an arrangement image in which an image is arranged in the template. The print application 22 automatically arranges images in the registered template, thereby reducing the user's effort required to print the arrangement image. If there is no template that corresponds to the type of schedule, the print application 22 may accept the selection of a template, or may generate a print job without using a template.

[0065] After generating the print job, the print application 22 executes an output destination determination process to determine an output destination of the generated print job (S236). The procedure of the output destination determination process will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. This output destination determination process is executed by the CPU 11 of the electronic device 1 based on the print application 22.

[0066] The CPU 11 determines whether information indicating the output destination printer, etc., is registered in the printing application 22 in association with the calendar procedure data (S301). The printing application 22 may accept the registration of output destination connection information in advance as the output destination of a print job when input information including schedule information is received at startup. The printing application 22 may accept the registration of different output destinations corresponding to the types of schedules included in the input information, for example. By registering the output destinations in the printing application 22 in advance, the printing application 22 can manage the output destinations.

[0067] If it is determined that the output destination printer is not registered in the print application 22 (S301: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the input information received at the time of startup includes information indicating the output destination printer, etc. (S302). As described above, it is also possible to set a procedure for passing input information including connection information to the print application 22 as an action of the calendar procedure data. If the input information includes output destination information, the print application 22 can obtain the output destination information based on the input information. By including output destination information in the input information, it is possible to assign an output destination to each procedure data.

[0068] The destination information may be information that allows the print application 22 to acquire connection information for connecting to a destination device that outputs a print job. The destination information may be, for example, connection information for connecting to a printer, information such as a printer name that identifies the printer, or connection information of a server to which the printer can be connected. For example, when the destination information is information indicating a remote printer 4, the print application 22 can acquire connection information of a server 3 as connection information of the destination corresponding to the printer 4.

[0069] If it is determined that the input information does not include information on the output destination (S302: NO), the CPU 11 accepts the user's designation of the output destination (S303). For example, the CPU 11 causes the user IF 13 to display a list of output destinations whose connection information is stored in the print application 22, and accepts the user's selection. For example, the CPU 11 accepts the selection of a printer, and acquires connection information for connecting to the selected printer. S303 is an example of a connection information acquisition process.

[0070] On the other hand, if it is determined that a printer corresponding to the calendar procedure data is registered (S301: YES), or if it is determined that printer information is included in the input information (S302: YES), the CPU 11 acquires connection information corresponding to the printer (S304). S304 is an example of a connection information acquisition process.

[0071] The connection information may be connection information for directly connecting to the printer, or may be connection information for connecting to another device that can pass a print job to the printer. The connection information may include, for example, an email address, a MAC address, a name of the printer, and other information corresponding to the printer associated with the printer. For example, if the printer 4 at the grandparents' house in a remote location is specified as the printer, the CPU 11 acquires connection information for connecting to the server 3, which is a specific server outside the local network, in S304. The connection information of the server 3 may be stored in the print application 22 in association with the information of the printer 4, or may be included in the input information.

[0072] After S303 or S304, the CPU 11 determines whether or not there is a printer in the local network (S306). S306 is an example of a search process. For example, the CPU 11 sends a search signal to search for a printer via the local network, and determines whether or not a response signal has been received from the printer.

[0073] If it is determined that a printer is present within the local network (S306: YES), the CPU 11 inquires of the user whether or not to change the output destination from the connection information acquired in S303 or S304 to a locally connected printer (S307). S307 is an example of an inquiry process.

[0074] When it is determined that the output destination is to be changed based on the user's answer (S307: YES), the CPU 11 changes the connection information indicating the output destination to connection information of a local connection (S309). S309 is an example of a changed output process.

[0075] For example, when the electronic device 1 is at the grandparents' house, the electronic device 1 can be locally connected to the printer 4 at the grandparents' house, which is usually located in a remote location. When the electronic device 1 is locally connected to the printer 4, it is possible to output a print job to the printer 4 without using the server 3 by switching to a local connection. Also, when there is another printer in the local network, that is, when there is a printer near the electronic device 1, it may be easier for the user to output to that printer. When there is a printer in the local network, the print application 22 of this embodiment inquires about changing the output destination and makes it possible to change the output destination according to the user's desire.

[0076] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no printer in the local network (S306: NO), or if it is determined that a response has been received that the output destination will not be changed (S307: NO), the CPU 11 checks the connection with the destination device using the connection information acquired in S303 or S304, and determines whether or not the connection is possible (S311). S311 is an example of a confirmation process. For example, if the acquired connection information is connection information for the server 3, the CPU 11 connects to the Internet 100 via the communication IF 14, and checks the connection with the server 3.

[0077] If it is determined that the connection is successful (S311: YES), the CPU 11 determines the device connected by the connection information as the output destination (S312). On the other hand, if it is determined that the connection is unsuccessful (S311: NO), the CPU 11 does not determine the output destination and notifies the user of the error via the user IF 13 (S313). S313 is an example of notification processing. By checking the connection before outputting the print job, it is possible to avoid unnecessary processing in the case where the connection cannot be established. After S309, S312, or S313, the CPU 11 ends the output destination determination processing and returns to the procedure of FIG. 3.

[0078] Returning to the description of Fig. 3, if the output destination has been determined in S309 or S312 of the output destination determination process, the print application 22 outputs the print job generated in S235 to the determined output destination (S237). S237 is an example of an automatic output process. Note that if an error is reported in S313 of the output destination determination process, the print application 22 does not execute S237.

[0079] After S237 or the error notification, the print application 22 terminates itself (S238). When a print job is output to the server 3, the printer 4 can receive the print job from the server 3 via the Internet 100 and can execute printing based on the received print job. As a result, a printout including the photo taken by the electronic device 1 is generated by the printer 4 at the remote grandparents' house.

[0080] As described above in detail, when the print application 22 described in this specification is started by the link program 211 based on the calendar procedure data, it receives input information from the link program 211 and acquires the data to be printed and the connection information based on the received input information. Furthermore, the print application 22 generates a print job for printing based on the acquired data to be printed, and automatically outputs the generated print job using the acquired connection information. As a result, when the start condition included in the calendar procedure data is satisfied, the print job is automatically output to the printer 4 via the server 3 outside the local network. Therefore, compared to the case where the user inputs the connection information to the printer 4 outside the local network every time the user wants to print to the printer 4, the user's effort in printing on the printer 4 located in a remote location outside the local network can be reduced.

[0081] 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 naturally improved and modified in various ways without departing from the 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 with a single function, but may be a multifunction device, a copier, a fax machine, or other device with a printing function. Furthermore, the number of servers connectable to the electronic device 1 is not limited to one, but may be two or more.

[0082] In addition, in this embodiment, only the procedure based on the calendar procedure data has been described, but other procedure data may be registered in the electronic device 1. If there is further procedure data including a procedure for starting the print application 22 as an action, the print application 22 may execute a process different from that of this embodiment based on the input information based on the procedure data.

[0083] Also, for example, in the action of the calendar procedure data in this embodiment, data recommended for printing is extracted and displayed, and the user is asked whether to print it or not, but this is not limited to this. For example, the print application 22 may determine the photo extracted by the photo application 24 as the data to be printed, generate a print job, and automatically output it. In this case, the print application 22 may notify the user that the print job has been output after outputting the print job.

[0084] Also, for example, in this embodiment, the photo application 24 extracts the photos, but this is not limiting. For example, the linking program 211 or the OS 21 may extract the photos. Also, in the action of the calendar procedure data in this embodiment, after the photos are extracted, the print application 22 is started if there are photos, but the photos may be extracted after the print application 22 is started.

[0085] Also, for example, the print application 22 may extract the photo. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, when the linking program 211 detects a trigger of the calendar procedure data, it may start the print application 22 and pass the input information including the notified schedule information to the print application 22. The print application 22 may access the photo data in an unlocked state and extract the image to be selected based on the schedule information (S401).

[0086] Also, for example, the output destination determination process in S236 may be executed before the generation of the print job in S235 or before the selection of the image is accepted in S231. In that case, if the connection check fails and an error is notified, the print job may not be generated or the selection of the image may not be accepted. Alternatively, the print application 22 may generate a print job and store it in the memory 12 even if the connection cannot be confirmed, and may try to connect again and output the print job when the connection is confirmed.

[0087] Also, for example, the determinations of S301 and S302 in the output destination determination process may be performed in reverse order. In other words, the print application 22 may give priority to the output destination included in the input information of the procedure data over the output destination registered in the print application 22.

[0088] In addition, 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.

[0089] In addition, in any of the flowcharts disclosed in the embodiments, the order of execution of multiple processes in any of the steps can be arbitrarily changed or the processes can be executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the process content.

[0090] 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]

[0091] 1. Electronic Devices 3 Server 4. Printers 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; 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, a print object acquisition process is executed to acquire input information input from the operating system at the time of startup, the input information including data to be printed; a connection information acquisition process is executed to acquire connection information for connecting to a specific server outside a local network which connects to a printer; and an automatic output process is executed to output a print job for printing based on the data to be printed included in the input information acquired in the print object acquisition process to the printer via the specific server using the connection information acquired in the connection information acquisition process, The computer further comprises: When started based on the automatic function of the operating system, a search process is executed to search for a printer within the local network before executing the automatic output process, and if a printer is found within the local network by the search process, an inquiry process is executed to inquire of the searched printer as to whether or not to change the output destination, and if an instruction to change the output destination is input by the inquiry process, the automatic output process is not executed, and a changed output process is executed to output the print job as the output destination to the printer searched for by the search process, and if an instruction to change the output destination is not input by the inquiry process or if a printer is not found by the search process, the automatic output process is executed.

1. An application program comprising:

2. 2. The application program according to claim 1, The computer includes: executing a connection information registration process for registering the connection information for connecting to the specific server; In the connection information acquisition process, acquiring the connection information by reading the connection information registered by the connection information registration process; 1. An application program comprising:

3. 2. The application program according to claim 1, In the connection information acquisition process, the connection information is acquired from the input information acquired in the print target acquisition process, and the procedure data registered in the operating system includes a designation of a printer as an output destination, and when the operating system starts the application program by the automatic function, the input information including the connection information for connecting to the specific server connected to the designated printer is passed to the application program.

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 started based on the automatic function of the operating system, the notification process is executed after the print object 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 1, The computer includes: Execute a template registration process to register template information, In the automatic output process, outputting the print job, which causes the data to be printed, which is included in the input information acquired in the print target acquisition process, to be printed based on an arrangement image arranged in the template registered in the template registration process, to the printer via the specific server, using the connection information acquired in the connection information acquisition process; 1. An application program comprising:

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