JP2002175161A - Printer, print server, printing system, printing method, recording medium, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To obtain a desired printed matter by using any method selected from various communication methods. SOLUTION: Two kinds of communication cards, a PHS communication I / F card 28a and a PDC communication I / F card 28b, can be mounted on a printer 2. In the RAM 22, a protocol corresponding to the attachable communication card is stored.
Only the protocol of the communication card actually used is validated. Which communication card is used is selected by the print server 3 based on the setting of the user.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a printer, a print server, a printing system, and a printing method that enable a user to obtain a printed material by using an arbitrary communication method from a plurality of communication methods.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A printer is generally connected to a general-purpose personal computer or a communication network via a cable. In recent years, a printer which can be wirelessly connected to a computer or a communication network has been put into practical use. Such a printer is provided with a card (hereinafter, referred to as a “communication card”) compatible with wireless communication for receiving print data.
Has a card slot in which a communication card can be inserted, and one protocol corresponding to the communication card is stored in advance as an effective protocol. When a communication card is inserted in the card slot, the stored protocol is stored. Can be printed in accordance with the following. As a result, the user has more flexibility in the arrangement position of the printer than in the case of the wired connection, and can perform printing in a wide range.

[0003]

However, the printer described above has only one card slot, and the protocol stored in the printer is limited to one type. It is. For this reason, print data can be received only by a limited one type of communication method. For example, when a failure occurs in the one type of communication method, a user cannot obtain a desired printed matter. . Further, for example, when a user wants to select a communication method according to a situation, the above-described printer cannot cope with the situation.

Accordingly, a main object of the present invention is to provide a printer, a print server, a printer, and the like which enable a user to obtain a desired print using any of various communication methods even in an environment where a computer is not installed. A printing system and a printing method are provided.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including one or more unit mounting portions on which a plurality of types of communication units can be mounted, and a plurality of communication units mounted on the unit mounting portions. A protocol storage unit storing a plurality of types of communication protocols corresponding to a plurality of types of mountable communication units; and a protocol stored in the protocol storage unit corresponding to the communication unit mounted on the unit mounting unit. Protocol control means for validating at least one of the protocols.

According to the first aspect, a protocol according to a unit (for example, a communication card) mounted on the unit mounting portion is automatically selected, and printing can be performed according to the protocol. Even in a place where there is no connection environment with a computer, printing can be performed using any of various communication cards such as a PHS interface card and a PDC interface card.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer, a memory unit can be mounted on at least one of the plurality of unit mounting portions, and a communication unit mounted on another of the unit mounting portions is provided. During the communication, the memory unit is made to function as a buffer memory for content data to be printed.

According to the second aspect, by using one of the mounted memory units as a buffer memory for content data, a large amount of data can be received even if the buffer memory amount in the printer is small. Becomes

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a print server which investigates communication means for performing data communication with the printer according to the first aspect via a communication network, and a communication unit which can be used by the printer. Selecting a communication unit that satisfies the most set condition from among the communication units, and converting means for converting the content data to be printed into a format according to the selected communication unit and the printer. ing.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the printing method by the print server for performing data communication with the printer according to the first aspect of the present invention, a communication unit usable in the printer is investigated. Selecting a communication unit that satisfies the most set condition from available communication units, and converting the content data to be printed into a format according to the selected communication unit and the printer. And characterized in that:

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer which is a print server for performing data communication with a printer via a communication network to execute the selecting step and the converting step, and a recording medium storing the program. is there.

According to the third, twelfth, twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth aspects, it is possible to perform communication using a communication unit that satisfies the condition most desired by the user among the plurality of communication units.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the print server according to the third aspect, the selecting unit searches the communication units in order from the one having the highest possibility of satisfying the condition. It is.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the printing method according to the twelfth aspect, in the selecting step, the communication units are searched in order from a candidate having a higher possibility of satisfying the condition. It is.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a program capable of operating a computer so that the communication unit is searched in order from the one that more likely to satisfy the condition in the selecting step. Is a recording medium on which is recorded.

According to the fourth, thirteenth, fifteenth, and seventeenth aspects, if communication using a communication unit that has a high possibility of satisfying the condition is possible, the investigation can be stopped at that time, so that the communication can be quickly performed. You can start.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the print server according to the third or fourth aspect, the condition is set in advance.

According to the fifth aspect, the conditions for selecting the communication unit are preset, so that the communication unit that satisfies the condition is automatically selected without the user having to input the condition each time. It is possible.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the condition is received together with a print command from a wireless communication terminal before the content data is printed by the printer. It is characterized by:

According to the present invention, since the condition for selecting the communication unit is a condition that is received together with the print command from the wireless communication terminal before the content data is printed by the printer, the characteristics of the content data (the data It is possible to perform communication using a communication unit that satisfies conditions that match conditions such as size and importance.

The printing system according to claim 7 is
7. A wireless communication terminal for transmitting a print command including content data to be printed or data specifying the same by performing data communication via a communication network, and receiving a print command from the wireless communication terminal. And a printer according to claim 1 for receiving content data from the print server.

According to the seventh aspect, printing can be performed by a printer using any one of the communication units by remote control from the wireless communication terminal.

The printing system according to claim 8 is
In claim 7, the order in which a plurality of communication units satisfy the condition is displayed on the printer or the wireless communication terminal.

According to the eighth aspect, the user can confirm the order that satisfies the condition among a plurality of communication units.

The printing system according to claim 9 is
Claim 7 or 8, wherein the condition is set based on at least one of a communication fee, a communication speed, and communication reliability.

According to the ninth aspect, it is possible to select and use a communication interface that satisfies any or all of the conditions such as a low communication fee, a high communication speed, and a high communication reliability.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the printing system according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects, a plurality of communication units can be used, and the print server and the print server via one of the communication units are used. When a failure occurs during communication with a printer during communication, communication is performed via another communication unit.

According to the tenth aspect, even if a failure occurs during communication via one communication unit, communication can be continued or restarted from the beginning by using another communication unit.

[0029] In the printing system according to the present invention, one or more communication means for transmitting content data to the printer is provided on the communication network. It is characterized by the following.

According to the eleventh aspect, simultaneous printing on a large number of printers becomes possible.

[0031]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A printing system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a printer 2, a print server 3,
And a mobile phone 4 as a wireless communication terminal. The mobile phone 4 gives a desired print command to the print server 3 by performing data communication with the print server 3 via a base station, an exchange (not shown), and the Internet 5. The print server 3 includes a content database 36a,
PHS (personal handyphone system) communication interface unit 37a and PDC (personal digital cellu)
lar) A computer including the communication interface unit 37b, which is a content data (content database 36) designated by a print command from the mobile phone 4.
a may be stored in another web server or may be stored in another web server) into a format suitable for reception and printing by the printer 4.

The printer 2 is a PHS for performing data communication with the PHS communication interface 37a or the PDC communication interface 37b of the print server 3.
It includes the communication interface card 28a or the PDC communication interface card 28b, and prints the converted content data received from the print server 3. The PHS communication interface card 28a and the PHS communication interface 37a are connected via a PHS base station / switching station (not shown).
The PDC communication interface card 28b and the PDC communication interface unit 37b are connected via a base station / exchange station of a mobile phone (not shown).

In the present embodiment, the PHS communication interface card 28a and the PHS
The communication interface unit 37a, and the PDC communication interface card 28b and the PDC communication interface unit 37b are used.
For example, a wireless LAN card or Bluetooth (bluetoot
h) A communication card or the like can be used. Further, in the present embodiment, there are two communication paths for performing data communication between the printer 2 and the print server 3, but the number of communication paths may be one or three or more. Good. When a Bluetooth communication card is used, the connection between the print server 3 and the printer 2 relatively close to the print server 3 is established without going through a relay point such as a base station.

Next, a control system of the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 2
U21, RAM 22, ROM 23, operation unit 24 including a power button and the like, display 25, printing unit 26 for performing printing, card slots 27a, 27b
Which are connected to each other by a bus 29. Each of the card slots 27a and 27b can accommodate one of a plurality of types of communication cards.
In the present embodiment, the card slot 27a has PH
An S communication interface card 28a is mounted, and a PDC communication interface card 28b is mounted in a card slot 27b.

The RAM 22 is a volatile semiconductor memory, and temporarily stores the converted content data received from the server 3, and has a protocol storage unit 22a. The protocol storage unit 22a stores a plurality of types of communication protocols corresponding to a plurality of types of communication cards that can be mounted in the card slot 27. The protocol storage unit 22a specifically stores PIAFS (phs internet access forum standard), which is a protocol for PHS,
In addition to PDC, a protocol for mobile phones, MAP (manufacturing automation), a protocol for LAN
protocol) or IPX / SPX (internetwork packet
exchange / sequenced packet exchange) and protocols for Bluetooth. These communication protocols are stored in the hard disk 32 in addition to the RAM 22.

The CPU 21 controls the entire printer 2 and has a protocol control section 21a. The protocol control unit 21a is for validating any one of the protocols stored in the protocol storage unit 22a that corresponds to the communication card installed in the card slot 27. In the present embodiment, the protocol control unit 21a enables a protocol (for example, PIAFS) corresponding to PHS communication or a protocol (for example, PDC) corresponding to mobile phone communication. ROM23
Is a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, which stores an operation program of the printer 2 and the like. The display 25 displays, for example, the order of selection conditions described later and various information in the printer 2. In addition,
The display 25 may be provided on the printer 2 itself, or may be a display of a computer connected to the printer 2 or the like.

In this embodiment, a memory card 28c such as an SRAM card or a flash memory card can be inserted into one or both of the card slots 27a and 27b. The attached memory card 28c can function as a buffer memory for the converted content data transmitted from the print server 3. By doing so, even if the buffer memory amount of the RAM 22 is small, the printer 2
Can receive large amounts of data.

The print server 3 includes a CPU 31, a hard disk 32, a ROM 33, a RAM 34, and a router 35 serving as a communication interface with the Internet 5.
, A content database 36a, a user database 36b, and the above-described PHS communication interface 37a and PDC communication interface 37b, which are connected to each other by a bus 38.

The CPU 31 includes a selection unit 31a and a conversion unit 3
1b has a storage area for storing the program. The selection unit 31a is for examining communication cards that can be used in the printer 2 and selecting a communication card that satisfies a selection condition described later from among the usable communication cards. In addition, the selection unit 31a searches the communication cards in order from the one that is more likely to satisfy the selection condition. Therefore, it is possible to perform communication using a communication card that satisfies the condition most desired by the user from the two communication cards, and it is possible to perform communication using a communication card that is likely to satisfy the condition. For example, the investigation can be stopped at that point, so that the data communication with the printer 2 can be started quickly. Converter 31
b, the content data to be printed by the printer 2 is selected by the selection unit 31 using the printer driver related to the printer 2.
This is for converting into a format according to the communication card and the printer 2 selected in a.

The hard disk 32 has a GUI (graphica
l user interface) based network OS and WWW
Various software including a server application are stored. As a part of the software, a printer driver for converting data to be printed into a format according to the printer 2 and a communication card attached thereto is provided for each type of communication card. I remember. Various software stored in the hard disk 32 is read and executed based on an instruction from the CPU 31. The printer driver may be configured to be commonly used for all communication cards.

The ROM 33 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and stores an operation program of the server 3. RAM
Reference numeral 34 denotes a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily stores a print command received from the mobile phone 4 and also stores the above-described selection conditions. The selection condition is determined by the operator based on at least one of the communication fee, the communication speed, and the communication reliability in order to determine a communication path for performing data communication between the print server 3 and the printer 2. These are set according to the desired conditions. The selection condition may be input by an operator from an operation unit (not shown) such as a keyboard of the mobile phone 4 or the server 3 and stored in the RAM 34 in advance, or may be set together with a print command from the mobile phone 4. It may be provided to the print server 3.

The content database 36a stores content data relating to a large number of contents to be printed by the printer 2 (for example, office documents such as quotes, delivery notes, bills, etc.) in association with their heading information. I have. The content of the content database 36a is
When the mobile phone 4 accesses the print server 3, the print server 3 is transmitted to the mobile phone 4 and displayed on the display 46 in a menu format (preferably a hierarchical menu format). By sequentially selecting the menu displayed on the display 46, the operator can easily find a desired content and issue a print command of the content. Note that this content database 36a
Although provided in the print server 3 together with the selection unit 31a and the conversion unit 31b, they may be provided in another server.

The user database 36b stores the I of a user who wants to print on the printer 2 by connecting to the print server 3.
Information such as D, name, address, and mobile phone number,
The data is stored in association with data (such as a telephone number and an IP address of the printer) for specifying the output destination printer of the content. When the mobile phone 4 accesses the print server 3, the contents of the user database 36b are transmitted to the mobile phone 4 and displayed on the display 46 in a menu format. This allows the operator to check the contents of his or her user database and easily perform operations such as changing personal information, adding or changing an output destination printer, and selecting an output destination printer. is there.

The mobile phone 4 includes a CPU 41 and an operation unit 4.
2, a RAM 43, a ROM 44, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 45, a display 46, a radio controller 47, and a radio 48, which are connected to each other by a bus 49. The operation unit 42 includes numeric keys and selection buttons that are manually operated by the operator. By operating the operation unit 42, the operator can input a desired print command or input desired selection conditions as in the case of the operation unit of the server 3 described above. The RAM 43 is a volatile semiconductor memory, and stores a print command input by an operator and selection conditions in the same manner as the RAM 34 of the server 3 described above. The ROM 44 is a rewritable nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and stores an operation program of the mobile phone 4.

The DSP 45 is a processor for performing audio processing. The DSP 45 includes an A / D converter and a D / D converter.
A microphone 45a and a speaker 45b are connected via an / A converter (both not shown). The display 46 displays a print command input by the operator, selection conditions, and the like. Wireless controller 47
Controls the operation of the wireless unit 48 connected thereto based on a signal from the CPU 41. Then, the wireless unit 48
Desired voice data and character data are wirelessly transmitted from the antenna to the base station as digital signals. Conversely, the wireless unit 48
Is also used to receive data transmitted from a base station via an antenna.

Next, a printing method in the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart sequentially showing a printing method in the printing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

First, in step S1, the operator inputs a print command using the operation unit 42 of the mobile phone 4. Then, the mobile phone 4 gives a print command to the print server 3 by performing data communication with the print server 3 via the Internet 5.

In step S2, the print server 3
The print command received from the mobile phone 4 is stored in the RAM 34. In response, the print server 3 and the printer 2
The selection condition (at least one of the communication fee, the communication speed, and the communication reliability) for determining the communication path for performing the data communication with the CPU 31 is read by the CPU 31. The selection condition may be a selection condition stored in the RAM 34 of the print server 3 in advance, or the selection condition input to the mobile phone 4 and stored in the RAM 43 is given to the print server 3 together with a print command. May be used.

Next, in step S3, the selection unit 31a of the print server 3 checks the types of communication cards that can be used in the printer 2 (specifically, by using each communication card, To see if communication is possible). In the present embodiment, there are two communication paths between the PHS communication interface card 28a and the PHS communication interface unit 37a (PHS communication) and between the PDC communication interface card 28b and the PDC communication interface unit 37b (mobile phone communication). It is available. At this time, the selection unit 31a searches the communication cards in order from the one that more likely to satisfy the selection condition. For example, when a user desires a communication system with a low communication fee, the investigation is performed from a communication path with a low communication fee. If a communicable card is found, the investigation is terminated at that point.

Next, in step S4, among the communication cards confirmed to be usable in step S3,
The communication card that satisfies the selection condition most is selected by the selection unit 31a. Then, information (hereinafter, referred to as a “card selection command”) indicating that data is to be transmitted to the printer 2 using the communication card selected by the selection unit 31a is transmitted from the print server 3 to the printer 2.

Then, in step S5, the print server 3
The protocol control unit 21a of the printer 2, which has received the card selection command transmitted from the printer, validates one of the protocols stored in the protocol storage unit 22a corresponding to the card selection command based on the card selection command. To For example, if the selecting unit 31a
Assuming that the HS communication interface card 28a is selected, the protocol control unit 21a enables only the protocol corresponding to PIAFS (or two protocols corresponding to PIAFS and PDC).

Next, in step S6, the conversion unit 31b
Converts the content data designated by the print command stored in the RAM 34 in step S2 into
Using the printer driver for the printer 2, the selecting unit 3
The data is converted into a format according to the communication card selected in 1a and the printer 2. Then, the content data converted by the conversion unit 31b is transmitted to the printer 2 via the communication path selected from the print server 3. In the present embodiment, if a communication failure occurs while content data is being transmitted from the print server 3 to the printer 2, steps S6 to S6 are performed so that communication is performed via the other communication path. Return to S4, that is, the selection of the communication card in the selection unit 31a. The printer 2 and the print server 3 confirm data reception based on a serial number assigned to each data transmission unit (packet).
When a communication failure occurs, the communication path is changed from the data of the next serial number which is assumed to be received and transmitted.

Finally, in step S7, the printer 2
However, printing is performed by supplying the converted content data received from the print server 3 to the printing unit 26.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the printer 2 uses a plurality of types of communication cards (specifically, PHS
Card slots 27a, 27b into which the communication interface card 28a and the PDC communication interface card 28b) can be mounted;
A protocol storage unit 22a storing a plurality of types of protocols corresponding to a plurality of types of communication cards mountable on the
Since there is provided a protocol control unit 21a for validating at least one of the protocols stored in the protocol storage unit 22a and corresponding to the communication card inserted into the card slots 27a and 27b, Even in a place where there is no connection environment with a computer, printing can be performed using any of various communication cards.

According to the present embodiment, when a plurality of communication cards capable of performing data communication are mounted on the printer 2, the communication card satisfying the selection condition is selected by the selection unit 31a. Communication can be performed using a communication card that most satisfies the selection condition desired by the user.

According to the present embodiment, the selecting unit 31
a checks the communication cards in order from the one that more likely satisfies the selection condition, so if communication using a communication unit that is more likely to satisfy the selection condition is possible, stop the investigation at that point By doing so, communication of the content data to the printer 2 can be started quickly.

In the present embodiment, if the selection conditions are preset, the communication unit that satisfies the most conditions is automatically selected without the user inputting the desired selection conditions one by one. It is possible.
In the present embodiment, if the selection condition is received together with a print command from the mobile phone 4 before printing the content data with the printer, the characteristics of the content data (data size, importance, etc.) Communication can be performed using the communication unit having the matched condition.

Further, the printing system 1 of the present embodiment
A mobile phone 4 that transmits a print command for designating content data to be printed by performing data communication via the Internet 5, a print server 3 that receives a print command from the mobile phone 4, and transmits content data from the print server 3. Since the printer 2 is provided with the receiving device, printing can be performed by remote control from the mobile phone 4.

According to the present embodiment, since the selection condition is set based on at least one of the communication fee, the communication speed, and the communication reliability, the communication fee is low and the communication speed is low. A communication path that is fast and has high communication reliability can be selected and used.

In the printing system 1 of the present embodiment, a plurality of communication cards can be used, and one of them can be used.
If a failure occurs during communication between the print server 3 and the printer 2 via one communication card, communication is performed via another communication card. Even if a failure occurs, communication can be continued by using another communication card.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the printing system 3 of the present embodiment includes, as hardware,
a and the PDC communication interface unit 37b, and the client computers 52 and 5
The printing system 1 described in the first embodiment of the present invention differs from the printing system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention except that the printer 3 is on the Internet 5 and the printers 2 and 2 ′ are two in the printer 51. It is configured similarly. The client computers 52 and 53 are computers equivalent to the print server 3 or general-purpose personal computers, and have PHS communication interface units 52a, 53a and P
DC communication interface units 52b and 53b are included.

In the present embodiment, data communication is performed between the PHS communication interface card 28a and the PHS communication interface 52a of the printer 2 and between the PDC communication interface card 28b and the PDC communication interface 52b of the printer 2. Is possible. Similarly, data communication can be performed between the printer 2 'and the client computer 53.

In the printing system 51 shown in FIG. 4, the content data converted by the conversion unit 31b of the print server 3 is supplied from the router 25 to the client computers 52 and 53 via the Internet 5. Then, the converted content data is transmitted to the printers 2 and 2 ′ connected to the client computers 52 and 53, respectively. In the printing system 51 of the present embodiment, client computers 52 and 53 for transmitting content data to a printer on the Internet 5 are provided, and the client computers 52 and 53 are connected to the printers 2 and 2 ′.
Are connected to the printers 2 and 2, respectively, so that simultaneous printing of contents using the printers 2 and 2 ′ is possible, and a large amount of data can be printed.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made within the scope of the appended claims. It is. For example, in the above embodiment, two card slots 27
Although a and 27b are provided, there may be only one card slot in which two or more types of communication cards and memory cards can be mounted. In the above-described embodiment, the card slot 27a of the printer 2
27b with a PHS communication interface card 28a,
Although the PDC communication interface card 28b is installed at the same time, one of them may be installed in one card slot and the memory card 28c may be installed in the other card slot. When the printer 2 has three or more card slots, the PHS communication interface card 28a and the PDC communication interface card 28b may be installed at the same time, and the memory card 28c may be installed in any of the remaining card slots. And the PHS communication interface card 28a
And only one of the PDC communication interface cards 28b may be mounted in the card slot, and two memory cards may be simultaneously mounted in the two card slots.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone 4 transmits a print command for designating the content data to be printed to the print server 3. The message itself may be transmitted. In the above-described embodiment, when the communication path is changed when a communication failure occurs, the print server 3 transmits only unreceived data from the middle of the data, that is, from the beginning of the data. The transmission may be performed by changing the communication path. In the above-described embodiment, data is transmitted between the printer 2 and the print server 3 through one communication path. However, data is transmitted between the printer 2 and the print server 3 simultaneously through a plurality of communication paths. You may. In that case,
Data may be transmitted for each page via a separate communication path.

In the above-described embodiment, the Internet 5 is used as a communication network between the mobile phone 4 and the print server 3. However, the present invention can be applied to an intranet as a communication network other than the Internet. In the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone 4 is used as a wireless communication terminal.
Or a transceiver can be used. In addition, the printer 2 and the print server 3 can be connected using any known communication network, whether wired or wireless. Further, in the present invention, it is possible to use various types of printers such as a label printer that prints a long adhesive tape, cuts the tape at an arbitrary position, and carries out the tape.

[0068]

As described above, according to the first aspect, even in a place where there is no connection environment with a computer, such as when going out, any one of various communication cards such as a PHS interface card and a PDC interface card can be used. Can be used for printing. According to the second aspect, a large amount of data can be received even when the amount of buffer memory in the printer is small. Also,
According to the third, twelfth, twelfth and thirteenth aspects, it is possible to perform communication using a communication unit that satisfies the selection condition desired by the user most. Claims 4, 13, 15, 1
According to 7, if communication using a communication unit that is likely to satisfy the condition is possible, the investigation can be stopped at that time, so that communication can be started quickly.

According to the fifth aspect, it is possible to automatically select the communication unit that satisfies the most conditions without having to input the conditions one by one. According to claim 6,
Communication can be performed using a communication unit having conditions that match the characteristics of the content data (such as the size and importance of the data).

According to the seventh aspect, printing can be performed by a printer using one of the communication units by remote control from the wireless communication terminal. According to claim 8,
The user can confirm the order that satisfies the condition among the plurality of communication units. According to the ninth aspect, a communication interface having a low communication fee, a high communication speed, and a high communication reliability can be selected and used.

According to the tenth aspect, even if a failure occurs during communication via one communication unit, communication can be continued by using another communication unit. According to claim 11, simultaneous printing to a large number of printers is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart sequentially showing a printing method in the printing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a printing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1,51 printing system 2,2 'printer 3 print server 4 mobile phone 5 internet 21a protocol control unit 22a protocol storage unit 27 card slot 31a selection unit 31b conversion unit 52,53 client computer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Keiji Seo 151-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture Inside Brother Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroshi Hira 151-1 Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Prefecture No. Within Brother Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor, Motoaki Yamanashi No. 15-1, Nashiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture Inside, Brother Industries, Ltd. (72) Akihiko Niwa, 15, Naeshiro-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture No. 1 Inside Brother Industries, Ltd. (72) Inventor Naoki Tanshima 15-1, Nashiro-machi, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term inside Brother Industries, Ltd. 2C061 AP01 AS06 AS08 HH03 HN11 HQ17 HS01 HV05 2C087 AA07 AB05 BC02 BC12 2C187 AD05 5B021 AA01 BB01 BB04 CC02 5C062 AA05 AA12 AA13 AA29 AA37 AB10 AB38 AB42 AB46 AB53 AC42 AC43 AE13 BA04

Claims (17)

[Claims] A protocol storing one or a plurality of unit mounting portions to which a plurality of types of communication units can be mounted, and a plurality of types of communication protocols corresponding to the plurality of types of communication units mountable to the unit mounting portions. Storage means; and protocol control means for validating at least one of the protocols stored in the protocol storage means, the protocol corresponding to the communication unit mounted on the unit mounting section. Characterized printer. 2. A memory unit can be mounted on at least one of the plurality of unit mounting portions, and the memory unit prints during communication via a communication unit mounted on another unit mounting portion. A printer characterized by functioning as a buffer memory for target content data. 3. A communication unit for performing data communication with the printer according to claim 1 via a communication network, and a communication unit usable in the printer is investigated, and a communication unit which is most set from the available communication units is examined. A print server comprising: a selection unit that selects a communication unit satisfying a condition; and a conversion unit that converts content data to be printed into a format according to the selected communication unit and the printer. 4. The print server according to claim 3, wherein the selection unit checks the communication units in an order starting from a communication unit that is more likely to satisfy the condition. 5. The print server according to claim 3, wherein the condition is set in advance. 6. The print server according to claim 3, wherein the condition is received together with a print command from a wireless communication terminal before the content data is printed by the printer. 7. A wireless communication terminal that performs data communication via a communication network to transmit a print command including content data to be printed or data designating the content data, and receives a print command from the wireless communication terminal. Items 3-6
A print system comprising: the print server according to claim 1; and the printer according to claim 1, which receives content data from the print server. 8. The printing system according to claim 7, wherein the order of the plurality of communication units satisfying the condition is displayed on the printer or the wireless communication terminal. 9. The condition according to claim 7, wherein the condition is set based on at least one of a communication fee, a communication speed, and communication reliability.
A printing system according to claim 1. 10. When a plurality of communication units are available and communication between the print server and the printer via one of the communication units fails during communication, another communication unit is used. The printing system according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein communication is performed via a unit. 11. The communication network according to claim 7, wherein one or more communication units for transmitting content data to the printer are provided on the communication network.
The printing system according to any one of the preceding claims. 12. A printing method by a print server that performs data communication with a printer via a communication network according to claim 1, wherein a communication unit usable by the printer is investigated, and the most usable communication unit is selected from the usable communication units. A communication unit that satisfies the set conditions; and a conversion step of converting content data to be printed into a format according to the selected communication unit and the printer. Printing method. 13. The printing method according to claim 12, wherein, in the selecting step, the communication units are examined in an order starting from a communication unit that is more likely to satisfy the condition. 14. A step of examining a communication unit usable by the printer according to claim 1, and selecting a communication unit satisfying the condition most from the usable communication units, and content data to be printed. And a conversion step of converting the data into a format in accordance with the selected communication unit and the printer. Recording medium. 15. The program according to claim 14, wherein in the selecting step, a program capable of operating a computer is recorded so that the communication units are checked in order from the one that is more likely to satisfy the condition. Computer readable recording medium. 16. A step of examining communication units usable in the printer according to claim 1, and selecting a communication unit satisfying the most set condition from the usable communication units, and a printing target. And a conversion step of converting the content data into a format according to the selected communication unit and the printer. The computer as a print server performing data communication with the printer via a communication network. 17. The program according to claim 16, wherein in the selecting step, the computer can be operated such that the communication units are checked in order from the one that is more likely to satisfy the condition.