JP5732417B2 - Image forming system and image forming program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming system and an image forming program that enable image formation by an image forming apparatus searched on a network by a server based on a request from a portable terminal.

  As a conventional image forming system, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a portable terminal such as a mobile phone that has requested an image forming process such as print output is notified of an image forming apparatus existing in the vicinity thereof. .

  In this image forming system, when a search request for an image forming apparatus is made from a mobile terminal, the server searches for an image forming apparatus existing near the current position of the mobile terminal. The searched image forming apparatus displays its position information and status information on a map image centered on the current position.

  Therefore, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, information on an image forming apparatus that exists in the vicinity of the mobile terminal is presented based on the position information, and image formation based on data from the mobile terminal is performed by the presented image forming apparatus. be able to.

  Also, with this technology, it is possible to designate attribute information of an image forming apparatus that indicates the presence or absence of a stapling function and the presence or absence of a double-sided printing function, and to present the image forming apparatus according to the designated conditions.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, if the image forming apparatus in the vicinity of the portable terminal does not meet all the specified conditions because of searching for the image forming apparatus in the vicinity of the portable terminal, the image forming apparatus There is a possibility that it will not be searched at all.

  In this regard, from the viewpoint of user convenience, it may be better to search for an image forming apparatus in a form that satisfies the minimum requirements from all position information and attribute information, rather than searching for an image forming apparatus at all. Not a few.

  Therefore, the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the convenience for the user is lowered when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all of the requirements requested by the user.

JP 2004-234218 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the convenience of the user is lowered when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all of the user requirements.

In order to improve user convenience even when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all of the user's requirements, the present invention provides an image formed by an image forming apparatus searched on a network by a server based on a request from a mobile terminal. An image forming system that enables formation, wherein the portable terminal specifies a plurality of request conditions for the image forming apparatus together with the priority conditions, and transmits the specified request conditions and priority conditions to the server side comprising a part, the server, the preferences in the case where the first search unit that searches an image forming apparatus which meets all of the requirements received, the image forming apparatus that matches the all requirements not present A second search unit that searches for an image forming apparatus that matches some of the required conditions according to the image, and an image searched by the first or second search unit A notification unit that notifies the position information of the forming apparatus to the portable terminal, the priority condition is a priority set for each of the specified request conditions, and the first search unit When there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that match the required condition, the image forming apparatus that is close to the position of the mobile terminal is searched from among the image forming apparatuses, and the second search unit includes The most important feature is to search for an image forming apparatus that matches the requirement conditions with high priority including the distance to the terminal .

  According to the present invention, even when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all of the required conditions, the image forming apparatus is searched for in a form that satisfies the user-desired minimum among all the required conditions according to the priority conditions. It is possible to improve user convenience.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming system (first embodiment). 1 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of an image forming apparatus (first embodiment). FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mobile terminal (Example 1). FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a management server (first embodiment). FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming system (first embodiment). 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of search and notification of the image forming apparatus in FIG. 5 (Example 1). (Example 2) which is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a portable terminal. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a management server (second embodiment). 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the image forming system (second embodiment).

  Priority is given to the purpose of improving user convenience even when there is no image forming device that meets all user requirements, when there is no image forming device that meets all the requirements specified on the mobile terminal. This was realized by searching for an image forming apparatus that met some of the required conditions according to the conditions.

[Configuration of image forming system]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an image forming system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In the image forming system 1 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of image forming apparatuses 3 a, 3 b, 3 c, 3 d, a portable terminal 5, and a management server 7 are connected by a network 9.

  The image forming apparatuses 3a to 3d can be constituted by, for example, a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction machine thereof, and can perform image formation according to the function and performance attributes, respectively.

  Functions include various functions such as color output functions, post-processing functions such as stapling (finisher function), scanner functions, facsimile functions, and the like. Performance includes, for example, output processing speed and output cost, and compatible paper sizes. Etc. Note that FIG. 1 also shows an example of function and performance attribute information of each image forming apparatus.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of the image forming apparatus of FIG. Since the image forming apparatuses 3a to 3d have the same basic configuration, FIG. 2 shows the image forming apparatus 3a as a representative of them.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming apparatus 3 a includes a network interface 11, a document reading unit 13, a printing unit 15, an operation display unit 19, a storage unit 21, and a control unit 23.

  The network interface 11 transmits and receives data to and from the mobile terminal 5 and the management server 7 via the network 9.

  The document reading unit 13 captures a document on a medium such as paper as image data. However, in this embodiment, the document reading unit 13 is provided only in the image forming apparatuses 3a and 3c having the scanner unit.

  The printing unit 15 performs print output on a sheet based on a print job (image formation data). Some print jobs are based on image data from the document reading unit 13 and others are input via the network 9.

  The operation display unit 19 is composed of a touch panel type liquid crystal display screen or the like, and performs operation input such as execution and setting of print output to the image forming apparatus 3a and display of the operation status thereof.

  The storage unit 21 is a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, a Compact Flash (registered trademark) memory, or a USB memory that stores software programs and data for various controls and operations.

  The control unit 23 is a control element such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a software program to perform control and operations of each unit. The control unit 23 of the present embodiment includes an information management unit 17 as a functional configuration by executing a program, and manages attribute information, installation position information, and the like of the image forming apparatus 3a. The information management unit 17 transmits management information to the management server 7 when the managed information (management information) changes or in response to a request from the management server 7. The management information is held in the storage unit 21.

  The portable terminal 5 of FIG. 1 is a portable information processing terminal such as a cellular phone, and its schematic configuration is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the portable terminal 5 of the present embodiment is generally configured by including a network interface 25, an operation display unit 27, a storage unit 29, and a control unit 31.

  The network interface 25 is the same as the image forming apparatus 3 a, and transmits and receives data to and from the image forming apparatuses 3 a to 3 d and the management server 7 via the network 9.

  The operation display unit 27 is composed of a touch panel type liquid crystal display screen or the like, and performs operation input, operation status display, and the like.

  Similarly to the image forming apparatus 3a, the storage unit 29 and the control unit 31 are storage devices such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk, and control elements such as a CPU.

  The portable terminal 5 of the present embodiment includes a search request unit 33, a result display unit 35, and a print instruction unit 37 as functional configurations by executing a program in the storage unit 29 by the control unit 31.

  The search request unit 33 designates a plurality of request conditions together with the priority conditions, and transmits the request conditions and priority conditions to the management server 7 side together with the position information. Based on this, the management server 7 is requested to search for an image forming apparatus.

  The required condition is a position and an attribute required for the image forming apparatus by the user. The position as the request condition is a condition for requesting that the image forming apparatus is within a predetermined distance with respect to the position of the mobile terminal 5. The position of the mobile terminal 5 serving as a reference can be any position such as a planned movement position in addition to the current position.

  The attribute as the request condition is a condition for requesting that the image forming apparatus has a predetermined function or performance.

  The priority condition indicates the priority application of the specified request condition, and can be, for example, the priority order set for each request condition.

  An example of the requirement condition and the priority condition is shown in FIG.

  The result display unit 35 receives the search result in the management server 7 and displays it on the operation display unit 27.

  The print instruction unit 37 issues a print instruction to the image forming apparatus selected from the search result.

  The management server 7 in FIG. 1 is a server device composed of an information processing device such as a computer, and its schematic configuration is shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 7 of this embodiment includes a network interface 39, a storage unit 41, and a control unit 43.

  The network interface 39 is the same as the image forming apparatus 3 a and the like, and allows data to be transmitted and received between the image forming apparatuses 3 a to 3 d and the portable terminal 5 via the network 9.

  Similarly to the image forming apparatus 3a and the like, the storage unit 41 and the control unit 43 are also storage devices such as a ROM, a RAM, and a hard disk, and control elements such as a CPU.

  The management server 7 of the present embodiment executes a program in the storage unit 41 in the control unit 43, and uses the information acquisition unit 45, the first search unit 47, the second search unit 49, and the notification unit 51 as functional configurations. Prepare.

  The information acquisition unit 45 acquires information on the image forming apparatuses 3 a to 3 d on the network 9 when receiving the request condition from the portable terminal 5. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 45 requests information acquisition from each image forming apparatus and receives management information from the information management unit 17.

  The first search unit 47 searches for an image forming apparatus that meets all of the request conditions based on the acquired management information.

  The second search unit 49 searches for an image forming apparatus that matches some of the request conditions according to the priority conditions when there is no image forming apparatus that matches all of the request conditions.

The notification unit 51 notifies the mobile terminal 5 of the position information of the image forming apparatus searched by the first or second search unit 47 or 49. The location information includes an IP address in addition to physical location information.
[Operation of image forming system]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming system. In the present embodiment, the program executed by the portable terminal 5 and the management server 7 operates in cooperation as an image forming program. In the operation of this embodiment, a search request for an image forming apparatus on the network 9 is made from the portable terminal 5, and a print instruction is issued from the portable terminal 5 to the searched image forming apparatus.

  The flowchart of FIG. 5 starts when the user launches a search request screen on the operation display unit 27 of the mobile terminal 5. The search request screen can be realized by a printer driver or a dedicated application.

  In step S1, “input of request conditions and priority conditions” is performed (search request procedure). In other words, the user inputs the position and attribute required for the image forming apparatus by the portable terminal 5 as a request condition.

  As the position as the request condition, for example, the current position of the mobile terminal 5 or a radius (distance) centered on the planned movement position can be input. Acquisition of position information of the current position and the planned movement position can be performed through a GPS function, input of coordinates, an address, or the like.

  As attributes of the requirement conditions, for example, it can be performed by inputting color output presence / absence, paper size, post-processing presence / absence, printing cost, printing speed, and the like. Many of the attributes of the required conditions overlap with the printing conditions for obtaining a desired printed matter, and therefore can be input as printing conditions in the present embodiment in which a printing instruction is finally given from the portable terminal 5.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, it is only necessary to separately input attributes different from printing conditions such as printing cost and printing speed, and it is possible to improve user convenience and simplify processing.

  When inputting the requirement conditions, the priority condition is also input. The priority condition of the present embodiment is a priority set for each request condition. For example, priorities such as “1”, “2”, and “3” are set for the required conditions of “monochrome”, “high speed”, and “finisher”.

  When step S1 is completed in this way, the process proceeds to step S2.

  In step S <b> 2, “transmission of position information, request condition, priority condition” is performed (search request procedure). In this process, the search request unit 33 of the mobile terminal 5 transmits the specified request condition and priority condition together with the location information of the mobile terminal 5 to the management server 7 side. Thereby, the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, “search and notification of image forming apparatus” is performed. In this process, the management server 7 searches for the image forming apparatus based on the position information from the portable terminal 5, the request condition, and the priority condition, and notifies the portable terminal 5 of the searched position information of the image forming apparatus. Thereby, the process proceeds to step S4. Details of this step will be described later.

  In step S4, a “print instruction from the portable terminal” is performed. That is, in the mobile terminal 5, the search result notified from the management server 7 is received and the result display unit 35 displays it on the operation display unit 27. This display may be performed on a map image centered on the position (current position or planned movement position) of the mobile terminal 5, for example.

  The user selects a desired image forming apparatus from the displayed search results and issues a print instruction. In the print instruction, the print instruction unit 37 forms a print job in a predetermined language as a function of the printer driver and transmits it to the image forming apparatus. Thereby, the process proceeds to step S5.

  In step S5, “print output” is performed. That is, the image forming apparatus receives a print job from the portable terminal 5 and the printing unit 15 prints out the paper.

  In the operation of the image forming system 1, image formation is performed by issuing a print instruction from the portable terminal 5 to the searched image forming apparatus. Instead, an image by facsimile, copying, or the like is used. Formation may be performed.

  In the case of image formation such as facsimile or copying, image formation can be performed separately from the operation of the image forming system 1.

From this, the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment can form an image on the searched image forming apparatus through the search and notification of the image forming apparatus in steps S1 to S3, particularly step S3 described in detail below. If it can be.
[Search and notification of image forming device]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the search and notification of the image forming apparatus of FIG.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 6, the management server 7 starts by receiving position information, request conditions, and priority conditions from the mobile terminal 5.

  In step S11, “acquisition of latest information of image forming apparatus” is performed. In this process, the information acquisition unit 45 of the management server 7 acquires the latest management information of the image forming apparatuses 3 a to 3 d existing on the network 9. As a result, the management server 7 can also acquire specification change information such as a change in the installation location of the image forming apparatuses 3a to 3d, a change in some functions (stop and recovery), an unusable status of the apparatus itself, and the like. .

  Thus, step S11 is completed, and the process proceeds to step S12.

  In step S12, a process of “matches all required conditions?” Is performed (first search procedure). In this process, the first search unit 47 of the management server 7 searches from the acquired management information for the presence or absence of an image forming apparatus that satisfies all of the request conditions received.

  If there is an image forming apparatus that matches all (YES), the process proceeds to step S13. If not (NO), the process proceeds to step S14.

  For example, when “finisher”, “large paper size”, “color”, and “high speed” are designated as the required conditions, there is an image forming apparatus 3a that matches all of them (see FIG. 1). When “monochrome”, “high speed”, and “finisher” are designated as “”, there is no image forming measure that matches all of them (see FIG. 1).

  In this embodiment, even when there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that meet all the required conditions, it is possible to preferentially search among them using the priority condition. In this case, when those image forming apparatuses further satisfy the same priority condition, priority is given to an image forming apparatus close to the position (current position or planned movement position) of the mobile terminal 5 or an image forming apparatus having a relatively high function. That's fine.

  In step S13, "notification of complete match" is performed (notification procedure). That is, the notification unit 51 of the management server 7 notifies the portable terminal 5 of the image forming apparatus that meets all the required conditions. The notification can be performed by transmitting the physical position information and the IP address of the image forming apparatus together with the matching request conditions. Note that the notification may include an indication that they all match. In this case, it is possible to omit matching request conditions from the notification. As a result, the flowchart of FIG. 6 ends.

  On the other hand, in step S14, a process of “Match part of request condition according to priority condition?” Is performed (second search procedure). In this process, the second search unit 49 of the management server 7 searches from the acquired management information for the presence or absence of an image forming apparatus that satisfies a part of the request conditions according to the priority conditions.

  If there is an image forming apparatus that matches a part of the required conditions (YES), the process proceeds to step S15. If not (NO), the process proceeds to step S16.

  As a search method, the presence or absence of image forming apparatuses that match in order from the top may be determined according to the priority order that is the priority condition of the present embodiment. When there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that meet the same order of requirement conditions, it is possible to narrow down by determining whether there is an image forming apparatus that meets the next order of requirement conditions and repeating this. it can.

  For example, if priority levels such as “1”, “2”, and “3” are set for the requirements of “monochrome”, “high speed”, and “finisher”, first, the upper “monochrome” is set. The matching image forming apparatuses 3b and 3c are searched, and then the image forming apparatuses 3c matching the “high speed” are narrowed down from the image forming apparatuses 3b and 3c.

  When searching for an image forming apparatus, the distance (position) with respect to the mobile terminal 5 is also handled as the same requirement as the attribute as described above. However, if no priority is assigned or there is no input itself, the default setting range for the current position of the mobile terminal 5 may be set as a compulsory requirement.

  Note that the search method of the image forming apparatus is not limited to the above. For example, in addition to the above search method, a plurality of request conditions may be set in the same order, and an image forming apparatus that satisfies any of the request conditions may be searched in each order.

  As another search method, an image forming apparatus having a large number of matching request conditions can be searched.

  In step S15, "partial match notification" is performed (notification procedure). In this process, similar to step S13, the physical position information and IP address of the image forming apparatus are transmitted together with the matching request conditions. Note that this notification may also include an indication that some of the requirements are met. As a result, the flowchart of FIG. 6 ends.

In step S16, “notification of mismatch” is performed (notification procedure). In this process, the mobile terminal 5 is notified that there is no image forming apparatus that meets the user's requirements. In this case as well, the flowchart of FIG. 6 ends.
[Effect of Example 1]
The image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment is an image forming system 1 that enables image formation by an image forming apparatus searched on the network 9 by the management server 7 based on data from the portable terminal 5. Includes a search request unit 33 that allows a plurality of request conditions for the image forming apparatus to be designated together with the priority conditions, and transmits the designated request conditions and priority conditions to the management server 7 side. A first search unit 47 that searches for an image forming apparatus that matches all of the requirements, and searches for an image forming apparatus that meets some of the required conditions according to the priority conditions when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all the required conditions. And a notification unit 51 for notifying the portable terminal 5 of the position information of the image forming apparatus searched by the first or second search unit 47 or 49.

  Therefore, in the image forming system 1, even when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all the required conditions, the image forming apparatus is searched for in the form satisfying the minimum requirement of the user from all the required conditions according to the priority conditions. It is possible to improve user convenience.

  In addition, in the image forming system 1 of the present embodiment, even when there are a plurality of image forming apparatuses that match all the required conditions, it is possible to perform a preferential search using the priority conditions from among them.

  For this reason, the image forming system 1 can preferentially search for an image forming apparatus in the form most desired by the user according to the situation, and the convenience for the user can be further improved.

  For example, when there is no time, it is possible to prioritize the device closest to the current position, or to prioritize the device closest to the position (location) going from now on when performing image formation on the go. Become. Similarly, it is possible to give priority to any of a device with low printing cost, a device capable of sending and receiving facsimiles, a device capable of color printing, a device with fast print output, a device capable of booklet printing, and a device capable of stapling. Become.

  In the present embodiment, the priority is set for each of the request conditions for which the priority condition is specified, and the second search unit 49 searches for a matching image forming apparatus from the request conditions having a high priority.

  For this reason, in the image forming system 1, it is possible to easily and reliably search for an image forming apparatus that matches a part of the request condition corresponding to the priority condition.

  In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 45 is provided that acquires information about the image forming apparatuses 3 a to 3 d on the network 9 when the management server 7 receives a request condition from the portable terminal 5.

  Therefore, the management server 7 can perform a reliable search even when the specifications of the image forming apparatuses 3a to 3d are changed.

  7 and 8 relate to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the mobile terminal, and FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the management server. In this embodiment, since the basic configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the corresponding components, and redundant description is omitted using the same reference numerals.

  In this embodiment, the portable terminal 5A does not include a printer driver, and the management server 7A issues a print instruction to the searched image forming apparatus.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the mobile terminal 5 </ b> A includes a print request unit 53 as an image formation request unit as a functional configuration instead of the print instruction unit 37 of the first embodiment.

  Based on the notification from the management server 7A, the print request unit 53 causes the selected image forming apparatus to select one that causes image formation. The print request unit 53 transmits this selection information to the management server 7A together with the data to be subjected to image formation.

  On the other hand, the management server 7A further includes a print instruction unit 55 as an image formation instruction unit as a functional configuration. The print instruction unit 55 has a function of a printer driver, generates a print job (image formation data) in a predetermined language from the received data, and transmits the print job to the image forming apparatus corresponding to the selection information.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image forming system of this embodiment. In the flowchart of FIG. 9, steps S21 to S23 are performed instead of steps S4 and S5 in the flowchart of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the process of steps S1 to S3 is performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and a “print request to the management server” is performed in step S21. That is, in the portable terminal 5A, the search result notified from the management server 7A is received, and the result display unit 35 displays it on the operation display unit 27.

  The user selects a desired image forming apparatus from the displayed search results, designates data to be image formed, and transmits it to the management server 7A by the print request unit 53 of the portable terminal 5A. Thus, a print request is made, and the process proceeds to step S22.

  In step S22, a “print instruction from the management server” is performed. In this processing, a print job is formed from the data received by the print instruction unit 55 of the management server 7A and transmitted to the image forming apparatus selected by the user. Thus, the print instruction is completed, and the process proceeds to step S23.

  In step S23, “print output” is performed. That is, the image forming apparatus receives a print job from the management server 7A, and the printing unit 15 prints out the paper.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, printing can be executed via the management server 7A even when the portable terminal 5A does not include a printer driver.

  In addition, also in the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming system 3a-3d Image forming apparatus 5 Portable terminal 7 Management server 9 Network 35 Search request part 47 1st search part 49 2nd search part 51 Notification part

Claims (4)

An image forming system that causes an image forming apparatus searched on a network by a server based on a request from a portable terminal to perform image formation,
The mobile terminal includes a search request unit that causes a plurality of request conditions for the image forming apparatus to be specified together with the priority conditions, and transmits the specified request conditions and priority conditions to the server side,
The server may include one corresponding to the preferences in the case where the first search unit that searches an image forming apparatus which meets all of the requirements received, the image forming apparatus that matches the all requirements not present A second search unit that searches for an image forming apparatus that matches the request condition of the copy unit, and a notification unit that notifies the portable terminal of the position information of the image forming apparatus searched by the first or second search unit Prepared,
The priority condition is a priority set for each of the designated request conditions,
The first search unit searches for an image forming apparatus close to the position of the mobile terminal from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses that match all the required conditions,
The second search unit searches for an image forming apparatus that matches the request condition including the distance of the image forming apparatus with respect to the portable terminal from the request condition having a high priority.
An image forming system. The image forming system according to claim 1,
The server includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information of an image forming apparatus on the network when the request condition is received.
An image forming system. The image forming system according to claim 1 or 2,
The portable terminal includes an image formation request unit that causes the selected image forming apparatus to select the image forming apparatus that performs the image formation and transmits the selection information to the server together with the data to be image formed. ,
The server includes an image forming instruction section that from the data received to generate the image data performed the image formed in the image forming apparatus based on the selection information,
An image forming system. An image forming program that enables image formation by an image forming apparatus searched on a network by a server based on a request from a portable terminal,
A procedure for receiving, from the mobile terminal, the request conditions and the priority conditions that are specified in a plurality together with the priority conditions for the image formation on the mobile terminal;
A first search procedure for searching an image forming apparatus which meets all of the requirements received on the server on the network,
A second search procedure for searching for an image forming apparatus that meets some of the required conditions according to the priority condition when there is no image forming apparatus that meets all of the required conditions;
Causing the computer to execute a notification procedure for notifying the portable terminal of the position information of the image forming apparatus searched in the first or second search procedure,
The priority condition is a priority set for each of the designated request conditions,
The first search procedure searches for an image forming apparatus close to the position of the mobile terminal from among a plurality of image forming apparatuses that match all the required conditions,
The second search procedure includes searching for an image forming apparatus that matches the request condition including the distance of the image forming apparatus with respect to the portable terminal from the request condition having a high priority.
An image forming program.

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