Information processing equipment, system, program, information processing method

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that can transmit a request to a device without causing a user to designate a network when the request is transmitted to the device being connectable to a plurality of networks.SOLUTION: A technique is provided that causes an information processing apparatus to function as: acquisition means 12 that acquires first communication information for connecting with a device through a first network and second communication information for connecting with the device through a second network being different from the first network; determination means 13 that determines whether or not it is possible to request processing from the device through the first network based on the acquired first communication information; connection means 15 that connects with the device in which it is determined not to be able to request processing through the first network, through the second network based on the second communication information; and request means that requests processing from the device in which it is determined to be able to request processing through the first network or the device connected by the connection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] If a user holding a terminal can communicate the terminal with other devices such as an image forming apparatus via wireless communication to use the functions of the devices, it is convenient because a wired connection is not required. However, in many cases, parameters for wireless communication are required for the terminal to perform wireless communication with the device, and the setting of the wireless communication parameters to the device is not always easy.

[0003] Therefore, a technique for setting wireless communication parameters in a terminal without user settings or with minimal user settings has been conventionally devised (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a management apparatus that reads information stored in a user's NFC (Near Field Communication) chip so that a wireless communication apparatus can be connected to the same device using different wireless communication parameters, and sets home wireless communication parameters or out-of-home wireless communication parameters to the wireless communication apparatus according to the information.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the method for setting wireless communication parameters disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that it is difficult for a user to determine which of a plurality of wireless communication parameters should be selected.

[0005] Let's explain with a concrete example. For instance, suppose an image forming machine is connected to an employee-only network and a guest network for visitors. In this case, if the wireless communication parameters for each network are stored in the NFC chip, the user's device can read the wireless communication parameters from the NFC chip and set them on the device. However, visitors should generally not be connected to the employee network, and employees should communicate with the equipment via the employee network, which is more shielded from external sources than the guest network. In other words, users should connect to the image forming machine via the appropriate network, but even if wireless communication parameters can be obtained, it is often difficult for the user to determine which wireless communication parameters to select.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to provide an information processing device that enables the transmission of requests to devices that can connect to multiple networks without requiring the user to specify the network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, an embodiment of the present invention is an information processing device that requests a predetermined process via one of the first and second networks to a device that can communicate via a first network and a second network different from the first network, the device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network and second communication information for connecting to the device via the second network; and using the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, attempting to acquire information from the device via the network to which the information processing device is connected, determining whether or not the information has been received, and the information The system includes: a determination means that, upon receiving a report, determines whether or not it is a specific device based on the information; a determination means that, if the determination means has received the information and determines that it is a specific device, requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the first network based on the first communication information; if it is determined that the information has not been received, requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information; and a request means that, if it is determined that the information has been received and it is not a specific device, requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. The network through which of the first and second networks the attempt to acquire information from the device is made is determined according to a predetermined priority. To provide an information processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a technology is provided that enables sending requests to devices that can connect to multiple networks without requiring the user to specify the network. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is an example of a diagram illustrating the main use cases envisioned for the printing system of this embodiment. [Figure 2]This is a diagram illustrating an example of a printing system configuration. [Figure 3] This is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a mobile device. [Figure 4] This is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of an image forming apparatus and information medium. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of an example printing system. [Figure 6] This is a diagram illustrating an example of communication information. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram of an example of a printing process. [Figure 8] This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a connection feasibility determination process. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on a mobile device's display device. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on a mobile device's display device. [Figure 11] This is a diagram illustrating another example of communication information. [Figure 12] This is an example of a flowchart illustrating the connection feasibility determination process in step S608 of the printing process described in Figure 7. [Figure 13] This is a functional block diagram of an example of a printing system (Example 2). [Figure 14] This is an example sequence of the printing process (Example 2). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0011] <Use cases of the printing system of this embodiment> First, the main use cases assumed by the printing system 1 of this embodiment will be described using FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is an example of a diagram for explaining the main use cases assumed by the printing system 1 of this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 20 is connected to a network N1 corresponding to an in-house LAN or the like, and an access point 7 is connected to the network N1. Further, the image forming apparatus 20 can also communicate via a network N2 that communicates in a P2P (Peer to Peer) manner.

[0012] · Use Case 1 Use Case 1 is a case where a visitor 9 wirelessly communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 for printing or the like using their own mobile terminal 10. This will be described using FIG. 1(a). (1) First, the visitor 9 approaches the mobile terminal 10 to the short-range wireless communication device 301 of the image forming apparatus 20. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 acquires first communication information 1100 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 and second communication information 1300 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2. (2) Next, the mobile terminal 10 attempts communication using the first communication information 1100, but the mobile terminal 10 of the visitor 9 cannot connect to the in-house LAN (network N1) using the first communication information 1100. (3) Next, when the mobile terminal 10 attempts communication using the second communication information 1300 and can communicate, communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is started via the network N2.

[0013] Therefore, the mobile terminal 10 of the visitor 9 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 without going through the network N1, which is the in-house LAN.

[0014] · Use Case 2 Use Case 2 is a case where an employee 8 wirelessly communicates with an image forming apparatus 20 in a different department or the like that is not normally used for printing or the like using their own mobile terminal 10. This will be described using FIG. 1(b). (1) First, employee 8 brings the mobile terminal 10 close to the short-range wireless communication device 301 of the image forming apparatus 20. As a result, the mobile terminal 10 acquires first communication information 1100 for communication via network N1 and second communication information 1300 for communication via network N2. (2) Next, the mobile terminal 10 attempts to communicate using the first communication information 1100. However, the mobile terminal 10 of employee 8, who has the authority to connect to the company's internal LAN, is already configured with wireless communication parameters for connecting to access point 7. Therefore, it can connect to the internal LAN and communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. Employee 8's mobile terminal 10 begins communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1.

[0015] Therefore, employee 8's mobile terminal 10 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the company's internal LAN, network N1. Furthermore, even if employee 8's mobile terminal 10 cannot connect to the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, it can still communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2, allowing for temporary printing and other operations even if network N1 is unavailable for any reason.

[0016] Thus, the printing system 1 of this embodiment reduces the effort required for users to set communication information and enables users such as visitors 9 and employees 8 to automatically select the appropriate network for each user.

[0017] <About Terminology> An employee is one specific example of a user of the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20, and is a user who has the authority to connect to the company LAN (the wireless communication parameters for connecting to the company LAN are set on the mobile terminal 10). This user does not have to be called employee 8, and can be called by any name such as staff, employee, or employee. Visitors are one specific example of users of the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20, and are users who do not have permission to connect to the company LAN. All users other than employees are included in Visitors 9. Visitors 9 can also be referred to in any way they like. [Examples]

[0018] <System Configuration> The system configuration of the printing system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a configuration diagram of an example of the printing system according to this embodiment. The printing system 1 in Figure 2 has a mobile terminal 10 and one or more image forming apparatuses 20. The mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatuses 20 are configured to be connectable via wired or wireless connections through networks N1 and N2. Since the mobile terminal 10 is an information processing device that can be carried by the user, as will be described later, it is preferable that the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatuses 20 are configured to be connectable via wireless connections through networks N1 and N2. Connectability means having the function to connect, and whether or not actual connection is possible depends on the judgment explained in Figures 7 and 8.

[0019] Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 10 is carried by a visitor 9, the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to network N1 and connects to network N2 on demand. Also, employee 8 has prior authority to connect to network N1. Therefore, if the mobile terminal 10 is carried by employee 8, the mobile terminal 10 has the above wireless communication parameters, such as the SSID and password (encryption key), set, and can connect to network N1. Thus, if employee 8 knows the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20, the mobile terminal 10 can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

[0020] In the following explanation, as an example, network N1 is described as an internal LAN or similar network for a mobile terminal 10 to connect to the image forming apparatus 20 via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), while network N2 is described as a network for direct P2P connection to the image forming apparatus 20 via Wi-Fi Direct. However, networks N1 and N2 are not limited to these. For example, network N1 may include a WAN or the internet in addition to an internal LAN or similar network, and may also include a mobile phone network in part. Network N2 may be a network for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via, for example, a wireless LAN in ad-hoc mode, a mobile phone network, infrared communication, Bluetooth®, etc. In other words, any network that does not intrude into the company network, such as an internal LAN, is acceptable. Furthermore, network N2 may be, for example, an internal LAN for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via a wireless LAN, provided that it is appropriately configured to be isolated from network N1 (for example, a network with a different network address than network N1).

[0021] Furthermore, an information medium 30 is attached to the housing of the image forming apparatus 20, and the mobile terminal 10 and the information medium 30 are configured to communicate via short-range wireless communication.

[0022] The mobile terminal 10 is a portable information processing device such as a smartphone operated by the user. The mobile terminal 10 may be a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet device, game console, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), digital camera, wearable PC, notebook PC, etc. The mobile terminal 10 is equipped with an application that can request the image forming apparatus 20 to provide functions (for example, issuing print instructions for data to be printed, scanning a document, sending a fax, making copies, etc.), and the mobile terminal 10 generates print jobs, scan jobs, fax transmission jobs, and copy jobs that include data to be printed related to print instructions, and sends them to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0023] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 10 is equipped with a near-field communication device such as an NFC chip, as will be described later. The user obtains multiple pieces of communication information, including an IP address, for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 by holding the mobile terminal 10 over an information medium 30 attached to a predetermined location on the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. The mobile terminal 10 then sends a print job generated based on the acquired communication information to the image forming apparatus 20, causing the image forming apparatus 20 to execute the print job and print the data to be printed.

[0024] The application may also be software such as a browser, word processing software, or viewer that communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 and requests the image forming apparatus 20 to execute a job.

[0025] The image forming apparatus 20 is a device such as a printer that receives print jobs from the mobile terminal 10 and prints the data to be printed. The image forming apparatus 20 may also be a multifunction device such as an MFP that has multiple functions in addition to printing, such as copying, scanning, and faxing.

[0026] Furthermore, the image forming apparatus 20 may be, for example, an output device such as a scanner, facsimile machine, image projection device (projector), rear projection device, HUD (Head Up Display) device, electronic whiteboard, or digital signage, or an audio output device such as a speaker. Therefore, although this embodiment describes the case of a printing system 1 as an example of an information processing system, it is not limited to this, and for example, an image output system using an image output device instead of the image forming apparatus 20, or an audio output system using a speaker instead of the image forming apparatus 20, may also be used. In other words, this embodiment can be applied to various systems using a mobile terminal 10 that generates various jobs, images, or data that can be converted into images, and a device (in this embodiment, the image forming apparatus 20) that outputs various jobs, images, or data that can be converted into images received from the mobile terminal 10. Alternatively, it may be possible to simply have the mobile terminal 10 and the device communicate wirelessly without data output.

[0027] The information medium 30 is a short-range wireless communication device, such as an NFC chip, attached to a predetermined location on the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. In other words, the information medium 30 is an NFC tag or the like. The information medium 30 stores communication information, including the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 to which the information medium 30 is attached. More specifically, the information medium 30 stores communication information for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, and communication information for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2. In other words, the information medium 30 stores communication information corresponding to the number of networks to which the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 can connect.

[0028] The mobile terminal 10 can acquire this communication information stored in the information medium 30 via short-range wireless communication. Then, as described above, the mobile terminal 10 can send a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 based on the communication information acquired from the information medium 30, thereby enabling the image forming apparatus 20 to execute the print job.

[0029] The information medium 30, such as an NFC tag, is not the only means of storing communication information and transmitting it to the mobile terminal 10. For example, if the image forming apparatus stores communication information, it may transmit the communication information to the mobile terminal 10 using other communication methods that allow direct communication with the mobile terminal 10 without requiring an address or other prior information, such as Bluetooth or infrared. In this case, the mobile terminal 10 must also have a compatible function (such as Bluetooth or infrared).

[0030] In the printing system 1 described above, the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 are configured to be connected via two networks, network N1 and network N2. However, the number of connectable networks can be any number of 1 or more (three or more).

[0031] Furthermore, the printing system 1 described above may have a configuration that includes, for example, a print server that stores print jobs sent from the mobile terminal 10. In addition, the printing system 1 may have a configuration that includes one or any number of mobile terminals 10.

[0032] <Hardware Configuration> ≪Mobile Devices≫ The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment is realized by a hardware configuration such as that shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a mobile terminal according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 10 shown in Figure 3 includes an input device 101, a display device 102, an external I / F 103, RAM (Random Access Memory) 104, ROM (Read Only Memory) 105, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 106, a communication I / F 107, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 108, and a short-range wireless communication device 109, and each of these is interconnected via bus B.

[0033] The input device 101 is, for example, a touch panel and is used to input various operation signals to the mobile terminal 10. The input device 101 may also be a keyboard or mouse. The display device 102 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays the processing results from the mobile terminal 10.

[0034] External I / F 103 is an interface to an external device. An external device may include a recording medium 103a. The recording medium 103a can store a program that implements the embodiment. The mobile terminal 10 can read from and / or write to the recording medium 103a via the external I / F 103.

[0035] The recording medium 103a is, for example, an SD memory card. The recording medium 103a may also be a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), CD (Compact Disk), or flexible disk.

[0036] RAM104 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily holds programs and data. ROM105 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. ROM105 stores programs and data such as the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), OS settings, and network settings that are executed when the mobile terminal 10 starts up.

[0037] The CPU 106 is a computing unit that controls and implements the functions of the entire mobile terminal 10 by reading programs and data from storage devices such as ROM 105 and SSD 108 onto RAM 104 and executing processing.

[0038] Communication I / F 107 is an interface for communication via networks N1 and N2. For example, communication I / F 107 is an interface for connecting the mobile terminal 10 to a company LAN, etc., via wireless LAN. Furthermore, communication I / F 107 is an interface for connecting to the image forming apparatus 20 via Wi-Fi Direct. This allows the mobile terminal 10 to perform data communication via communication I / F 107. Note that communication I / F 107 may also be an interface for connecting to a mobile phone network or the internet, etc.

[0039] SSD108 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs 108a and data. The stored programs 108a and data include, for example, the operating system (OS), which is the basic software that controls the entire mobile terminal 10, and application software (hereinafter simply referred to as "applications") that provides various functions on the OS. SSD108 manages the stored programs and data using a predetermined file system and / or database (DB). Note that the mobile terminal 10 may also be equipped with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like, either in place of or in conjunction with SSD108.

[0040] The short-range wireless communication device 109 is, for example, an NFC chip. This allows the mobile terminal 10 to perform data communication via the short-range wireless communication device 109.

[0041] The mobile terminal 10 according to this embodiment can perform various processes as described later with the hardware configuration described above.

[0042] <<Image forming apparatus and information medium>> The image forming apparatus 20 and information medium 30 according to this embodiment are realized by a hardware configuration such as that shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of the image forming apparatus and information medium according to this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 20 shown in Figure 4 includes a controller 201, an operation panel 202, an external I / F 203, a communication I / F 204, and a printer 205. In addition, a short-range wireless communication device 301 is attached to the outside (housing) of the image forming apparatus 20 to realize the information medium 30.

[0043] The controller 201 includes a CPU 211, RAM 212, ROM 213, NVRAM 214, and HDD 215. ROM 213 stores various programs and data. RAM 212 temporarily holds programs and data. NVRAM 214 stores, for example, configuration information. HDD 215 stores various programs 215a and data.

[0044] The CPU 211 reads programs 215a, data, and setting information from ROM 213, NVRAM 214, HDD 215, etc., onto RAM 212, and executes processing to realize the overall control and functions of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0045] The control panel 202 includes an input unit for receiving user input and a display unit for displaying information. The external I / F 203 is an interface to external devices. External devices include recording media 203a, etc. This allows the image forming apparatus 20 to read and / or write to the recording media 203a via the external I / F 203. Recording media 203a include flexible disks, CDs, DVDs, SD memory cards, USB memory, etc.

[0046] Communication I / F 204 is an interface for communication via networks N1 and N2. This allows the image forming apparatus 20 to perform data communication via communication I / F 204. Printer 205 is a printing device for printing and outputting the data to be printed.

[0047] The near-field wireless communication device 301 is, for example, an NFC chip. The information medium 30 is stored in the non-volatile memory of the near-field wireless communication device 301. When the near-field wireless communication device 301 detects the approach of the mobile terminal 10 to the near-field wireless communication device 109, it can communicate with the near-field wireless communication device 109 to read the information in the information medium 30 and transmit the information in the information medium 30 to the mobile terminal 10. The near-field wireless communication device 301 is configured outside the image forming apparatus 20, for example, by attaching an NFC chip to a predetermined position on the housing of the image forming apparatus 20. In this case, it is preferable that the NFC chip is attached to a position where near-field wireless communication with the mobile terminal 10 is easily possible. The information in the information medium 30 can be rewritten by the user using a reader / writer or the like.

[0048] Furthermore, the short-range wireless communication device 301 does not have to be located outside the image forming apparatus 20, but may be located inside the image forming apparatus 20 within a range that allows for short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 10. Also, the short-range wireless communication device 301 does not need to be integrated with the image forming apparatus 20, and may be placed near the image forming apparatus 20 or on a sign or other sign installed along the path to the image forming apparatus 20.

[0049] The image forming apparatus 20 and information medium 30 according to this embodiment can perform various processes as described later with the hardware configuration described above.

[0050] <Software Configuration> The printing system 1 according to this embodiment can be represented by a functional block as shown in Figure 5, for example. Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of an example of the printing system according to this embodiment.

[0051] The mobile terminal 10 of the printing system 1 includes an information acquisition unit 12, a connection feasibility determination unit 13, a UI display unit 14, a communication unit 15, and an information storage unit 16. The communication unit 15 also includes a first communication unit 151 and a second communication unit 152. On the other hand, the image forming apparatus 20 of the printing system 1 includes a print function unit 21. The image forming apparatus 20 can receive processing requests from multiple networks N1 and N2.

[0052] The information acquisition unit 12 is implemented by a CPU 106, a short-range wireless communication device 109, etc., and acquires multiple pieces of communication information from the information medium 30 for communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via short-range wireless communication.

[0053] The connection feasibility determination unit 13 is implemented by a CPU 106 or the like, and based on multiple communication information acquired from the information medium 30, it selects which of the multiple networks that can be connected to the image forming apparatus 20 to communicate via. In this embodiment, specifically, based on multiple communication information acquired from the information medium 30, it selects which of the networks N1 and N2 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via.

[0054] The UI display unit 14 is implemented by the CPU 106, the display device 102, etc., and generates and displays the UI (User Interface) screen.

[0055] The communication unit 15 is implemented by a communication interface 107, etc., and communicates with the image forming apparatus 20. More specifically, depending on the selection result of the connection feasibility determination unit 13, the first communication unit 151 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, and the second communication unit 152 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2.

[0056] The information storage unit 16 is implemented by a CPU 106, ROM 105, SSD 108, etc., and stores the communication information 1000 acquired by the information acquisition unit 12, as well as reading the stored information.

[0057] The print function unit 21 is implemented by a printer 205 or the like, and prints the data to be printed that is included in the print job requested by the mobile terminal 10. In addition to the print function unit 21, the image forming apparatus 20 may also have a scan function unit for generating image data (electronic data) from the scanned original, a copy function unit for duplicating the scanned original, and a fax function unit for sending the scanned original or electronic data via a telephone network or the like.

[0058] The information medium 30 is implemented by a short-range wireless communication device 301 and stores communication information 1000 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 to which the information medium 30 is attached. In response to a request from the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10, the information medium 30 transmits the communication information 1000 stored in the information medium 30 to the mobile terminal 10 via short-range wireless communication.

[0059] <1000 pieces of communication information stored in information medium 30> The communication information 1000 stored in the information medium 30 will be explained using Figure 6. The communication information 1000 stored in the information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 has a similar configuration. Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of communication information.

[0060] The communication information 1000 shown in Figure 6 includes first communication information 1100 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, availability information 1200 indicating whether communication via network N2 is available, and second communication information 1300 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2. In other words, the communication information 1000 includes multiple pieces of communication information, such as the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300.

[0061] The first communication information 1100 is information necessary for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (for example, the company's internal LAN connected via wireless LAN). The first communication information 1100 includes the first IP address, which is the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 on the network N1, and information such as SSL communication, which indicates whether SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) communication is used on the network N1. The first communication information 1100 does not include the SSID or password for connecting from the access point 7 to the company's internal LAN. This is because, as mentioned above, the network N1 is intended for connection by employees 8, and the employee 8's mobile terminal 10 already has the SSID and password set. In other words, if the SSID and password for the company's internal LAN were set in the first communication information 1100, visitors 9 and others would also be able to connect to the company's internal LAN. In this embodiment, by taking advantage of the premise that the employee 8's mobile terminal 10 has an SSID and password pre-configured, the first communication information 1100 stores only minimal information (that it has an IP address), making it possible to connect only employee 8 to the company LAN while preventing visitors 9 from connecting to the company LAN. In other words, only mobile terminals 10 that are currently connected to the company LAN can connect to the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100.

[0062] The availability information 1200 indicates whether or not to attempt communication via network N2 if the connection availability determination unit 13 determines that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1 is not possible. For example, in the communication information 1000 in Figure 6, the availability information 1200 is set to "Yes". Therefore, in this case, as will be described in more detail later, if the connection availability determination unit 13 determines that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1 is not possible, the mobile terminal 10 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2. On the other hand, if the availability information 1200 is set to "No", the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2.

[0063] The availability information 1200 is used, for example, for billing control. The usage fee for the image forming apparatus 20 may be charged on a usage basis, such as the number of pages printed. For example, if the image forming apparatus 20 is installed at company A, the usage fee will be billed to company A whether an employee 8 of company A or a visitor 9 to company A prints. Therefore, in cases where the image forming apparatus 20 is installed in a location with many visitors 9, company A may not want to allow any printing by visitors 9.

[0064] In contrast, places like city halls and libraries need to accommodate requests from visitors 9 who wish to print. For this reason, coin-operated machines are installed along with image forming machines 20 in highly public places, and visitors 9 are permitted to print within the limits of the amount of money they insert.

[0065] Therefore, in image forming apparatus 20 located in locations where charges are possible or in locations where the number of prints by visitors 9 is small, printing by visitors 9 may be permitted. In this way, the availability information 1200 can control whether or not visitors 9 are allowed to use the image forming apparatus 20.

[0066] Furthermore, availability information may also be set for the first communication information 1100. For example, if there are security issues with network N1, it is possible to prevent employee 8 from communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1.

[0067] The second communication information 1300 is information necessary for the mobile terminal 10 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N2 (for example, P2P via Wi-Fi Direct). The second communication information 1300 includes information such as the second IP address, which is the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 on network N2; the SSID (Service Set Identifier) ​​for identifying network N2; the encryption method on network N2; the password; and the HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) port number or HTTPS (HTTP over SSL / TLS) port number of the image forming apparatus 20 when communicating via network N2. Note that if the image forming apparatus 20 does not encrypt the data during communication, communication is possible even without a password.

[0068] The information contained in the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 described above is just an example, and may include various types of information necessary for communication via network N1 and network N2, respectively. Also, although the first IP address and the second IP address are different in the communication information 1000 shown above, they may be the same IP address.

[0069] For example, if the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 are configured to be further connected via a network N3, the communication information 1000 may include availability information indicating whether or not communication via the network N3 is available, and third communication information for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N3.

[0070] <Processing details> Next, we will describe the details of the processing in printing system 1.

[0071] <<Printing Process>> First, the printing process flow of the printing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 7 shows an example sequence of the printing process according to this embodiment.

[0072] In step S601, the user selects the desired print data from an application installed on the mobile terminal 10 via the UI display unit 14 and issues a print command. This generates a print job that includes the print data selected by the user.

[0073] In step S602, when the UI display unit 14 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a notification that a print job has been executed, it requests the information acquisition unit 12 to acquire communication information 1000. The mobile terminal 10 then enters a standby state until it detects the start of short-range wireless communication by the short-range wireless communication device 109. During this time, the display device 102 may display a screen prompting the user to hold the mobile terminal 10 over the NFC chip (information medium 30) of the image forming apparatus 20.

[0074] In step S603, when the user holds the mobile terminal 10 over the information medium 30, the information acquisition unit 12 detects the start of short-range wireless communication with the information medium 30 and acquires communication information 1000 from the information medium 30.

[0075] In step S604, the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10 acquires communication information 1000 from the information medium 30 and stores the communication information 1000 in the information storage unit 16.

[0076] In step S605, the information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 sends a request to the connection feasibility determination unit 13 to determine which of the multiple pieces of communication information included in the communication information 1000 should be used to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

[0077] In step S606, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 performs a connection feasibility determination process. In this embodiment, the connection feasibility determination process generates one of the following results. Details of this connection feasibility determination process will be described later. (1) The mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via either network N1 or network N2 (the selection result is "communication impossible"). (2) The mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (the selection result is communicated at the first communication unit). (3) The mobile terminal 10 communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 (the selection result is communicated at the second communication unit).

[0078] In the subsequent processing, if the selection result by the connection feasibility determination unit 13 is (1) above, the UI display unit 14 performs the process in step S608. If the selection result by the connection feasibility determination unit 13 is (2) above, the communication unit 15 performs the process in step S610. If the selection result by the connection feasibility determination unit 13 is (3) above, the communication unit 15 performs the process in step S613.

[0079] In step S607, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 sends a request to the UI display unit 14 to display a screen (communication impossible screen in Figure 10(b)) indicating that the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

[0080] In step S608, when the UI display unit 14 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a request to display a communication unavailable screen, it generates a notification unavailable screen and displays it on the display device 102. This notifies the user that the mobile terminal 10 being operated by this user cannot communicate with the desired image forming apparatus 20.

[0081] In step S609, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 sends a print job execution request to the first communication unit 151.

[0082] In step S610, when the first communication unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a request to execute a print job, it transmits this print job execution request to the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 (for example, the company's LAN connected via wireless LAN).

[0083] In step S611, when the print function unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives a print job from the mobile terminal 10, it executes the print job and prints the data to be printed. This allows the user to print the desired data using the image forming apparatus 20.

[0084] In step S612, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 sends a print job execution request to the second communication unit 152.

[0085] In step S613, when the second communication unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a request to execute a print job, it transmits this print job execution request to the image forming apparatus 20. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 (for example, P2P via Wi-Fi Direct).

[0086] In step S614, when the print function unit 21 of the image forming apparatus 20 receives a print job from the mobile terminal 10, it executes the print job and prints the data to be printed. This allows the user to print the desired data using the image forming apparatus 20.

[0087] As described above, in the printing system 1 according to this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 acquires multiple pieces of communication information from the information medium 30 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20. The mobile terminal 10 then communicates with the image forming apparatus 20 based on one of these multiple pieces of communication information and can perform printing. In other words, the mobile terminal 10 can perform printing by selecting one of the multiple networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 and sending a print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the selected network.

[0088] <<Connection availability determination process>> Next, using Figures 8 to 10, the connection feasibility determination process in step S608 of the printing process described above will be explained. The connection feasibility determination process is the process of selecting whether to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 based on the first communication information 1100 or the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000 acquired by the information acquisition unit 12. In other words, it is the process of selecting which of the multiple networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 to communicate via.

[0089] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an example of the connection feasibility determination process according to this embodiment. Figures 9 and 10 show examples of application screens displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. The process flow in Figure 8 will be explained below with reference to Figures 9 and 10.

[0090] First, the user selects the data to be printed from a list of printable data displayed on the display device 102 by the application. Then, as shown in Figure 9(a), the print conditions screen 901 is displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10. The print conditions screen 901 displays the data to be printed 902, the icon 903 of the image forming apparatus 20, the number of copies 904, color / monochrome 905, and the paper size 906. The initial settings that are pre-configured in the application are displayed for the number of copies 904, color / monochrome 905, and paper size 906, and the last settings set by the user are also retained. Therefore, when the user prints to the image forming apparatus 20 using the mobile terminal 10, they can print with their desired settings (print conditions) with minimal changes to the settings.

[0091] The usage advice 907 includes, for example, an icon 907a or a message 907b such as "Touch the MFP to start printing," prompting the user to hold the mobile terminal 10 over the near-field communication device 301 (NFC chip) of the image forming apparatus 20. By holding the terminal over, the information acquisition unit 12 of the mobile terminal 10 acquires communication information 1000 from the information medium 30. The acquisition of communication information 1000 starts the process shown in Figure 8.

[0092] In step S701 of Figure 8, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 requests the first communication unit 151 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via network N1, based on the first communication information 1100 contained in the communication information 1000. The first communication unit 151 then attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. Here, the mobile terminal 10 prioritizes the network to which it is currently connected and attempts to connect to the IP address indicated in the communication information 1100. Even if the user is an employee and the mobile terminal has information to connect to the company LAN, if it is currently connected to another network (e.g., LTE, 3G, public Wi-Fi, etc.), the acquired communication information 1100 does not contain network-identifying information such as an SSID, so the mobile terminal 10 cannot determine which network to switch to. For this reason, it attempts to communicate via another network without switching to the company LAN. The first communication unit 151 attempts to communicate with the device (in this case, the image forming apparatus 20) indicated by the first IP address included in the first communication information 1100 via the currently connected network. Therefore, in the case of a mobile terminal 10 connected to 3G or LTE, communication with the device indicated by the first IP address may be attempted via the carrier's base station.

[0093] While the first communication unit 151 is attempting to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20, the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 displays the connection screen 911 shown in Figure 9(b). The connection screen 911 indicates that a connection is in progress using icons 912 and text 913. A cancel button 914 is also displayed for the user to cancel the connection or print job.

[0094] Returning to Figure 8, in step S702, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not it was able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 based on the communication result from the first communication unit 151. If communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 was successful, the process proceeds to step S703; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S704.

[0095] Here, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 determines whether or not it was able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100, as follows. For the sake of clarity, this will be explained by dividing it into use cases.

[0096] Use Case 1 Whether the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network or is connected to some network, it attempts to connect to the image forming apparatus 20 and performs one of the following processes (1) to (3). (1) The first communication unit 151 attempts to acquire MIB (Management Information Base) information of the image forming apparatus 20 via the currently connected network. If MIB information is acquired, it is determined that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was successful. Conversely, if MIB information cannot be acquired, it is determined that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was unsuccessful. The MIB information may be either a standard MIB or an extended MIB. If a standard MIB is acquired, it is determined that data communication is possible with at least some device (including the possibility that it is the image forming apparatus 20). If an extended MIB is acquired, it is determined that data communication is possible with the image forming apparatus 20 assumed by the application of the mobile terminal 10 (the application is created assuming an image forming apparatus 20 of a specific manufacturer or model). Furthermore, even if MIB information is acquired, if the device information included in the acquired MIB information differs from the device information of the image forming apparatus 20 to be communicated with (this is included, for example, in the communication information 1000 acquired from the information medium 30), it may be determined that communication was unsuccessful. This allows the connection feasibility determination unit 13 to reliably determine that it has been able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 having the information medium 30 from which the communication information 1000 was read. Here, the device information refers to information that uniquely identifies the image forming apparatus, such as the manufacturing serial number or MAC (Media Access Control) address of the image forming apparatus 20. (2) The first communication unit 151 attempts to obtain device information using the WebAPI (Web Application Programming Interface) provided by the image forming apparatus 20 via the currently connected network. A WebAPI is an agreement (such as how to request processing and how to specify data) for when device A and device B perform processing via the network. The information storage unit 16 of the mobile terminal 10 has the WebAPI stored in advance. If the device information is obtained, it is determined that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 has been successful. On the other hand, if the device information cannot be obtained, it is determined that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 has not been successful. In other words, if the WebAPI is not specific to the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 20, it can be determined that data communication is possible with at least some device (including the possibility that it is the image forming apparatus 20). If the WebAPI is specific to the manufacturer of the image forming apparatus 20, the ability to obtain device information can be determined to enable data communication with the image forming apparatus 20 assumed by the application of the mobile terminal 10. Furthermore, even if device information is obtained, if the obtained device information differs from the device information of the desired image forming apparatus 20, it may be determined that communication was unsuccessful. This allows the connection feasibility determination unit 13 to reliably determine whether it was able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 having the information medium 30 from which the communication information 1000 was read. (3) The first communication unit 151 attempts to obtain the MAC address of the image forming apparatus 20 via ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) through the currently connected network. If the MAC address is obtained, it determines that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was successful. On the other hand, if the MAC address is not obtained, it determines that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 was unsuccessful. If the MAC address is obtained, it can be determined with high accuracy that a device with the IP address stored in the information medium 30 (including the possibility that it is the image forming apparatus 20) exists and that data communication with the image forming apparatus 20 containing the information medium 30 was successful. Furthermore, even if the MAC address is obtained, if the obtained MAC address is different from the MAC address of the image forming apparatus 20 (which is obtained from the information medium 30), it may be determined that communication was unsuccessful. This allows the connection feasibility determination unit 13 to reliably determine that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 containing the information medium 30 was successful.

[0097] If a communication error occurs during any of the processes (1) to (3), a retry may be performed. If any of the conditions (1) to (3) determine that communication is not possible, it may be concluded that communication is not possible in a single attempt.

[0098] By performing any of the processes (1) to (3) above, it is possible to detect whether the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, or whether the mobile terminal 10 is connected to another wireless LAN (such as a public wireless LAN), or whether it is connected to LTE or 3G. This allows the system to determine that the mobile terminal 10 cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100.

[0099] Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, the transmission terminal 10 may detect via the OS or other means that it is not connected to a wireless LAN, or that it is not connected to any other network, and determine that it cannot communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. The same determination can be made if it is detected that the mobile terminal 10 is connected to LTE or 3G.

[0100] Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 10 is not connected to any network, it can be determined that communication using the first communication information 1100 is not possible, since the mobile terminal 10 is not currently connected to the company LAN. Therefore, it can be determined that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100 is not possible without performing steps (1) to (3).

[0101] Use Case 2 First, if employee 8's mobile terminal 10 is connected to the company LAN, it is likely that it can communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the first communication information 1100.

[0102] On the other hand, as described above, even if an employee is not connected to the company LAN, they cannot connect to the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100. Furthermore, if an attempt is made to communicate via a network other than the company LAN, such as LTE or 3G, the following situations may occur. (i) There is some device (which may or may not be the image forming apparatus 20) at the IP address indicated by the first communication information of the network to which it happened to be connected. Therefore, it is possible to connect to the device, but it is not connected to the image forming apparatus 20 that is the target of the connection, so there is no point in making a processing request. (ii) No device exists at the IP address indicated by the first communication information 1100 on the network to which it happened to be connected.

[0103] Therefore, in order to confirm that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is not occurring in the states described in (i) or (ii) above, one of the processes described in (1) to (3) above is performed. This makes it possible to determine whether the connected device is an image forming apparatus 20 that can request processing (i.e., whether it is connected to the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1).

[0104] In use case 2, even when the mobile terminal 10 is connected to the company LAN (network N1), packets sent by employee 8's mobile terminal 10 may not reach the image forming apparatus 20. Possible situations include the power being off on the router in the path from the mobile terminal 10's nearest access point 7 to the image forming apparatus 20, or the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 being changed but not yet reflected in the information medium 30.

[0105] In these cases, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 detects a timeout or communication error (for example, a status code of 400 is returned in HTTP) when performing any of the processes (1) to (3), and determines that it is not possible to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 based on the first communication information 1100.

[0106] In step S703, if communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is possible via the network N1, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N1 based on the first communication information 1100 included in the communication information 1000.

[0107] In this case, as shown in Figure 10(a), the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 displays a transmission completion screen 921. The transmission completion screen 921 is a screen that indicates that the transmission of the print job from the mobile terminal 10 to the image forming apparatus 20 has been completed. The transmission completion screen 921 displays the message "Transmission Complete" 922 and an icon 923 indicating that the transmission is complete. After the transmission completion screen 921 is displayed for a certain period of time, it is automatically cleared and the print conditions screen 901 in Figure 9(a) is displayed. Alternatively, the print conditions screen 901 in Figure 9(a) may be displayed by the user pressing (touching) the icon 923.

[0108] Returning to Figure 8, in step S704, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 refers to the availability information 1200 included in the communication information 1000 and determines whether or not the network N2 can be used. If the network N2 can be used, the process proceeds to step S705; if the network N2 cannot be used, the process proceeds to step S708.

[0109] This allows us to determine whether or not P2P connection is permitted, even if, for example, network N2 can connect the mobile terminal 10 and the image forming apparatus 20 using P2P such as Wi-Fi Direct. This is because, in addition to the reasons mentioned above regarding billing, P2P connections generally tend to have lower security compared to connections via the company's internal LAN using wireless LAN. In other words, if employee 8's mobile terminal 10 cannot connect to network N1, this prevents employee 8 from making a P2P connection, even temporarily. Thus, security can be improved by making the determination in step S704.

[0110] In step S705, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 requests the second communication unit 152 to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000. The second communication unit 152 then attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300. That is, the second communication unit 152 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 indicated by the second IP address included in the second communication information 1300.

[0111] In step S706, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not it was able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2, based on the communication result from the second communication unit 152. If communication with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 is successful, the process proceeds to step S707; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S708. The connection screen shown in Figure 9(b) continues to be displayed during the determination in step S706.

[0112] Here, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 determines whether or not it was able to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the second communication information 1300, as follows. In the determination in step S706, the same determination is made for both use cases 1 and 2.

[0113] In other words, it is considered that the mobile terminal 10 of visitor 9 and the mobile terminal 10 of employee 8 can send and receive packets with the image forming apparatus 20 using the second communication information 1300. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to make a determination using the determination criteria (1) to (3) of step S702.

[0114] In rare cases, the mobile terminal 10 may be unable to send or receive packets with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 because power is not supplied to the communication interface 204 of the image forming apparatus 20, or because the communication interface 204 experiences a communication failure. In this case, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 determines that it is not possible to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 based on the first communication information 1100, by detecting that it has not received any response from the image forming apparatus 20, a timeout, or a communication error.

[0115] In step S707, if communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is possible via the network N2, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via the network N2 based on the second communication information 1300 included in the communication information 1000.

[0116] In this case, the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 displays the transmission completion screen 921 shown in Figure 10(a). That is, the same screen is displayed regardless of whether the print job is sent via network N1 or network N2, so the user does not need to be aware of the difference between networks. The mobile terminal 10 may also display on the display device 102 whether the print job was sent via network N1 or network N2. This allows the user as employee 8 to confirm whether they were able to use the highly secure company LAN. Also, the user as visitor 9 can understand that their print job was sent via the P2P network.

[0117] Returning to Figure 8, in step S708, if communication with the image forming apparatus 20 is not possible on either network N1 or network N2, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines that it is not possible to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20.

[0118] In this case, as shown in Figure 10(b), the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 displays a communication failure screen 931. The communication failure screen 931 displays the message "Cannot connect to the device" 932 and an OK button 933. When the user presses (touches) the OK button 933, the display device 102 displays the print conditions screen 901 shown in Figure 9(a).

[0119] As explained in the process shown in Figure 8, the printing system 1 of this embodiment reduces the effort required for users to set the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 for image forming apparatus 20 connected to multiple networks, and allows each user to automatically select the appropriate network.

[0120] <<Regarding other forms of communication information>> In step S701 described above, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 attempted to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100, and in step S705, it attempted to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 using the second communication information 1300. That is, the order in which the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 were attempted to communicate was fixed according to the order of the first communication information 1100 and the second communication information 1300 recorded in the communication information 1000 in Figure 6 (for example, in address order).

[0121] However, the order in which the connection feasibility determination unit 13 attempts to communicate is not limited to this. That is, it may attempt to communicate using the second communication information 1300 in step S701, and then attempt to communicate using the first communication information 1100 in step S705.

[0122] Furthermore, the choice of which of the multiple networks to use to attempt communication with the image forming apparatus 20 may be determined according to a predetermined priority order.

[0123] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of communication information. In Figure 11, the first communication information 1100 of network N1 has a priority of 1, the second communication information 1300 of network N2 has a priority of 3, and the third communication information 1500 of network N3 has a priority of 2. When the priority of each network (each communication information) is registered in the communication information 1000 in this way, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 attempts to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 in the order of the first communication information 1100 (network N1), the third communication information 1500 (network N3), and the second communication information 1300 (network N2).

[0124] Figure 12 is an example of a flowchart illustrating the connection feasibility determination process in step S608 of Figure 7 when the communication information 1000 from Figure 11 is used.

[0125] In step S801, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 reads out the priorities of all the first communication information 1100 to third communication information 1500 included in the communication information 1000 and assigns control priorities 1 to N in descending order of priority. This is to handle cases where the priorities of the first communication information 1100 to third communication information included in the communication information 1000 do not start from 1 or are not numbered sequentially. As a result of the processing in step S801, the first communication information 1100 to third communication information are assigned sequential control priorities 1 to N. If two or more of the first communication information 1100 to third communication information are assigned the same priority, the control priorities are assigned in the order in which they are stored (address order).

[0126] In step S802, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 sets the control variable n to "1". That is, it initializes the control variable n.

[0127] In step S803, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether or not there is communication information with control priority n (in this case, one of the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information). If there is communication information with control priority n, the process proceeds to step S804. If there is no communication information with control priority n, the process proceeds to step S809. In step S809, an attempt was made to communicate using the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500, but communication was unsuccessful, so it is determined that communication is not possible.

[0128] In step S804, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 refers to the availability information 1200 and 1400 for control priority n and determines whether the communication information for control priority n (in this case, one of the first communication information 1100, second communication information 1300, or third communication information 1500) is available. If there is no availability information, such as for the first communication information 1100, it is determined that it is available. Alternatively, the communication information 1000 may be configured such that the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500 all have availability information. If the communication information for control priority n is available, the process proceeds to step S805; if the communication information for control priority n is not available, the process proceeds to step S808.

[0129] In step S805, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 attempts to communicate using the communication information of control priority n.

[0130] In step S806, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines whether communication using the communication information of control priority n was successful. The method for determining whether communication was successful differs depending on the circumstances that may arise in use cases 1 and 2, but it is sufficient to determine whether connection to the access point 7 is possible, and if so, based on the determination methods (1) to (3) in steps S702 and S706 of Figure 8. If communication is successful, the process proceeds to step S807; if communication is not possible, the process proceeds to step S808.

[0131] In step S807, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines that communication is to be performed using the communication unit 15 corresponding to the communication information with control priority n.

[0132] In step S808, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 increases the control variable n by one. Thereafter, the processes after step S803 are repeated.

[0133] In step S809, since communication cannot be performed with the image forming apparatus 20 using the first communication information 1100 to the third communication information 1500 for which communication has been attempted, the connection availability determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 determines that communication with the image forming apparatus 20 cannot be performed.

[0134] In this way, by registering the priority in the communication information 1000, it is possible to communicate with the user using the communication information to be preferentially used.

[0135] When performing control based on such a priority, it is preferable that the priority of the communication information for connecting to the in-company LAN is higher than all the communication information for connecting to the P2P network. Thereby, the employee 8 can be preferentially connected to the in-company LAN, and the visitor 9 can also be connected to the P2P network. However, even when the priority of the communication information for connecting to the P2P network is higher than the communication information for connecting to the in-company LAN, it is possible for both the employee 8 and the visitor 9 to communicate via the P2P network.

[0136] Also, such a priority may be determined according to, for example, the communication bandwidth of each network.

[0137] <<Priority Control of Connection Attempts Based on IP Address>> Furthermore, based on the IP address of the mobile terminal 10 and the IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 included in the communication information 1000, it may be decided which of the multiple networks to attempt communication with the image forming apparatus 20 through. For example, suppose the IP address of the mobile terminal 10 is "192.160.0.3", the first IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in network N1 is "192.168.20.1", and the second IP address of the image forming apparatus 20 in network N2 is "192.160.0.4". In this case, it may be decided to attempt communication via network N2, which has the same subnetwork address portion "192.160.0.0", before attempting communication via network N1 (in this case, it is preferable that network N2 is an employee network).

[0138] By doing so, when the image forming apparatus 20 communicates with the network N2, the communication takes place within the same subnet, thus preventing an increase in network traffic.

[0139] <Summary> As described above, in the printing system 1 according to this embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 acquires multiple pieces of communication information from the information medium 30 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20. The mobile terminal 10 can then communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 and perform printing based on one of these multiple pieces of communication information. In other words, the mobile terminal 10 can perform printing by selecting one of the multiple networks connected to the image forming apparatus 20 and sending the print job to the image forming apparatus 20 via the selected network. Therefore, even if the user is unable to communicate with the image forming apparatus 20 via one of the multiple networks, there is no need to reconfigure the communication information on the mobile terminal 10 for communicating with the image forming apparatus 20 via another network. This reduces the effort required for both the user and management of the printing system 1.

[0140] Note that the information acquisition unit 12 is an example of an acquisition means. The connection feasibility determination unit 13 is an example of a selection means. The communication unit 15 is an example of a communication means.

[0141] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments specifically disclosed above, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Examples]

[0142] As explained in Example 1, the image forming apparatus 20 may be an image projection device (projector), but this example will describe the case where the image forming apparatus 20 is an image projection device (projector).

[0143] In this specification, components denoted by the same reference numeral perform similar functions; therefore, the description of a component that has already been described may be omitted, or only the differences between them may be described.

[0144] Figure 13 is a functional block diagram of an example of a printing system 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 13, the configuration of the mobile terminal 10 is the same as in Figure 5. In contrast, in Figure 13, the mobile terminal 10 communicates with an image projection device 22 instead of an image forming apparatus 20. An information medium 30 is arranged in the image projection device 22, and the image projection device 22 has an image projection unit 23. The information medium 30 is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0145] The image projection device 22 modulates image data using DLP (Digital Right Processing) or liquid crystal technology and projects the image onto a screen, wall, or other surface. The image data is transmitted from the mobile terminal 10 via network N1 or N2. The image projection unit 23 generates a projected image based on the DLP or liquid crystal projection engine and the image data.

[0146] Figure 14 shows a sequence of an example of the printing process according to this embodiment. The process in Figure 14 differs from that in Figure 7 of Embodiment 1 in steps S609 to S614, so the process in steps S609 to S614 will be explained.

[0147] In step S609, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits an image projection request to the first communication unit 151.

[0148] In step S610, when the first communication unit 151 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a request for image projection, it transmits this request to the image projection device 22. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits image data to the image projection device 22 via the network N1 (for example, the company LAN connected via wireless LAN). This image data is generated, for example, from the image currently displayed on the display device 102 of the mobile terminal 10 or from an image selected by the user.

[0149] In step S611, the image projection unit 23 of the image projection device 22 projects the image when it receives a request to project an image from the mobile terminal 10. This allows the user to project the desired image using the image projection device 22.

[0150] In step S612, the connection feasibility determination unit 13 of the mobile terminal 10 transmits an image projection request to the second communication unit 152.

[0151] In step S613, when the second communication unit 152 of the mobile terminal 10 receives a request for image projection, it transmits this request to the image projection device 22. That is, the mobile terminal 10 transmits image data to the image projection device 22 via the network N2 (e.g., P2P via Wi-Fi Direct).

[0152] In step S614, when the image projection unit 23 of the image projection device 22 receives an image projection request from the mobile terminal 10, it projects the image. This allows the user to have the desired image projected by the image projection device 22.

[0153] When the mobile terminal 10 instructs the image forming apparatus 20 to print, the mobile terminal 10 only needs to send the print job to the image forming apparatus 20 and then wait until printing is complete. In contrast, when the mobile terminal 10 instructs the image projection apparatus 22 to project an image, the mobile terminal 10 needs to project the image multiple times.

[0154] For example, if the mobile terminal 10 updates a still image displayed on the display device 102 (including switching images, as well as zooming in / out and changing the display range), or if the user re-selects an image to be projected, image data is transmitted. If the mobile terminal 10 is displaying a video on the display device 102, images are periodically captured to create and transmit image data. The image data format can be any format supported by the image projection device 22, such as JPEG, TIFF, GIF, or PNG.

[0155] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 10 may send files containing images directly. For example, it can send PDF files, MPEG files, etc. In this case, the image projection device 22 opens the file, converts it to an image, and then projects it.

[0156] As described above, in addition to the effects of Example 1, the printing system of this embodiment can communicate with the mobile terminal 10 via an appropriate network for wireless communication and transmit necessary data such as image data. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0157] 1. Printing System 10 Mobile devices 12 Information acquisition department 13 Connection feasibility determination unit 14 UI display section 15 Communications Department 151 First Communications Department 152 Second Communications Department 16 Information storage section 20 Image forming apparatus 21 Print function unit 30 Information media [Prior art documents] [License]

[0158] [License 1] Patent No. 5121212

Claims

1. An information processing device that requests a predetermined process via one of the first and second networks to a device that can communicate via a first network and a second network different from the first network, An acquisition means for acquiring first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network and second communication information for connecting to the device via the second network, Using the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the information processing device attempts to acquire information from the device via the network to which it is connected, and determines whether or not the information has been received, and if the information has been received, determines whether or not it is a specific device based on the information. If the determination means receives the information and determines that it is the specific device, it requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the first network based on the first communication information. If it is not determined that the aforementioned information has been received, the system requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. If it is determined that the aforementioned information has been received and that it is not determined to be the specific device, the system includes a request means that requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information, An information processing device that determines, according to a predetermined priority, which of the first and second networks to attempt to acquire information from the device via.

2. If the determination means does not request the predetermined processing from the device via the first network, it attempts to communicate with the device via the second network based on the second communication information and determines whether or not communication with the device is possible. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the determination means determines that communication with the device is possible, the request means requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information.

3. The determination means determines whether the device information that uniquely identifies the device included in the first communication information or the second communication information is included in the received information. If it is determined that the aforementioned device information is included in the received information, the information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which selects to communicate with the device via the network corresponding to the communication information based on the communication information used to acquire the information.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined processing includes at least image processing.

5. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information includes at least one of the following: MIB (Management Information Base) information, information obtained via WebAPI (Web Application Programming Interface), or a MAC (Media Access Control) address possessed by the device.

6. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the acquisition means acquires first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network, which does not include information already stored in the information processing apparatus, and second communication information necessary for connecting to the device via the second network.

7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the acquisition means acquires a plurality of communication pieces of information corresponding to each of a plurality of networks for communicating with the device via short-range wireless communication from the device.

8. An information processing device that can communicate with a device via a first network and a second network different from the first network, and that requests a predetermined process via one of the first and second networks, An acquisition means for acquiring first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network and second communication information for connecting to the device via the second network, Using the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the information processing device attempts to acquire information from the device via the network to which it is connected, and determines whether or not the information has been received. If the information has been received, the determination means determines whether or not the device is a specific device based on the information. If the determination means receives the information and determines that it is the specific device, it requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the first network based on the first communication information. If it is not determined that the aforementioned information has been received, the system requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. If it is determined that the aforementioned information has been received and that it is not the specific device, then the device will function as a request means that requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. A program that determines, according to a predetermined priority, which of the first and second networks to attempt to acquire information from the device via, A system comprising the device that performs the predetermined processing requested by the information processing device.

9. An information processing device that can communicate with a device via a first network and a second network different from the first network, and that requests a predetermined process via one of the first and second networks, An acquisition means for acquiring first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network and second communication information for connecting to the device via the second network, Using the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the information processing device attempts to acquire information from the device via the network to which it is connected, and determines whether or not the information has been received. If the information has been received, the determination means determines whether or not the device is a specific device based on the information. If the determination means receives the information and determines that it is the specific device, it requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the first network based on the first communication information. If it is not determined that the aforementioned information has been received, the system requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. If it is determined that the aforementioned information has been received and that it is not the specific device, a request means requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. To make it function as, A program that determines, according to a predetermined priority, which of the first and second networks to attempt to acquire information from the device via.

10. An information processing method performed by an information processing device that requests predetermined processing via one of the first and second networks to a device that can communicate via a first network and a second network different from the first network, The acquisition means includes the steps of acquiring first communication information for connecting to the device via the first network and second communication information for connecting to the device via the second network, Using the first communication information acquired by the acquisition means, the information processing device attempts to acquire information from the device via the network to which it is connected, and the determination means determines whether or not the information has been received, and if the information has been received, determines whether or not it is a specific device based on the information. If the determination means receives the information and determines that it is the specific device, it requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the first network based on the first communication information. If it is not determined that the aforementioned information has been received, the system requests the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. If it is determined that the aforementioned information has been received and that it is not determined to be the specific device, the process includes the step of requesting the device to perform the predetermined processing via the second network based on the second communication information. The choice of which of the first and second networks to attempt to acquire information from the device is determined according to a predetermined priority. Information processing methods.

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