JP7059229B2 - Methods, application programs, storage media, and mobile terminals performed by running applications on mobile terminals. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method, a program, a storage medium, and a mobile terminal performed by executing an application of the mobile terminal.

A mobile terminal having a wireless LAN function connects to an access point and searches for a printing device via the access point. Then, the mobile terminal sends a print job to the printing device designated by the user from the search results. The printing apparatus that has received the print job executes the printing process based on the received print job on the sheet. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a mobile terminal connects to a plurality of access points in order and searches for a printing device via each of the plurality of access points.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-11671

Suppose a user wants to send a print job from a mobile terminal to a printing device in front of the user. At this time, in order to discover this printing device by the search executed by the mobile terminal, it is necessary that the printing device also participates in the wireless LAN network in which the mobile terminal participates. However, this printing device does not always participate in the wireless LAN network in which the mobile terminal participates, and the printing device may not be connected to the access point in the first place. In this case, the printing device cannot be found by the search performed by the mobile terminal.

Therefore, in the present invention, the guidance function of the application for transmitting the print data to the printing device to the mobile terminal has a function of displaying the SSID for wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the desired printing device on the mobile terminal . The purpose is to improve the possibility of finding the desired printing device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the method performed by executing the application of the mobile terminal provided by the present invention causes the mobile terminal to perform a search for a printing device, and at least one printing device found by the search. The identification information of the above is displayed on the mobile terminal, and the print data is transferred to the mobile terminal to at least one printing device that is the identification information of the at least one printing device found by the search and corresponds to the instructed identification information . It is a display of a guide for wireless setting for transmitting and enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal and another printing device not found by the search, and the mobile terminal and the other printing device are displayed. It is characterized in that it controls a process of displaying the display of the guide for setting the SSID for wireless communication on the mobile terminal.

According to the present invention, the guidance function of the application for transmitting print data to the mobile terminal to the printing device has a function of displaying the SSID for wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the desired printing device on the mobile terminal. The search can increase the chances of finding the desired printing device.

It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of a mobile terminal 100. It is a figure which shows the software structure of a mobile terminal 100. It is a figure which shows the screen which the mobile terminal 100 displays. It is a figure which shows the screen which the mobile terminal 100 displays. It is a flowchart which shows the process which a mobile terminal 100 executes.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the means for solving the invention.

(Embodiment)
First, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG. The mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment is assumed to be a smartphone, but may be another device such as a digital camera, a digital game machine, or a notebook PC as long as it is a device having a wireless LAN function.

The CPU 101 reads out the control program stored in the flash memory 103 and executes various processes for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. The RAM 102 is used as a temporary storage area such as a main memory and a work area of the CPU 101. The flash memory 103 is a non-volatile storage medium for storing various data such as a control program of a mobile terminal 100 and photographs and electronic documents.

In the mobile terminal 100 of the present embodiment, one CPU 101 executes each process shown in the flowchart described later, but other embodiments may be used. For example, a plurality of CPUs may cooperate to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later. Further, a part of the processing of the flowchart described later may be executed by using a hardware circuit such as an ASIC.

The operation panel 104 has a touch panel function capable of detecting a user's touch operation, and displays various screens. The user can input a desired instruction to the mobile terminal 100 by inputting a touch operation on the operation panel 104. The mobile terminal 100 is provided with a hardware key (not shown), and the user can also input an operation instruction to the mobile terminal 100 using the hardware key.

The speaker 106 and the microphone 107 are used when the user makes a call with another mobile terminal or a landline telephone. The camera 108 takes an image according to the image pickup instruction of the user. The photograph taken by the camera 108 is stored in a predetermined area of the flash memory 103.

Bluetooth® I / F 109 performs wireless communication with Bluetooth®. Further, the NFC I / F 110 executes near field communication by NFC (Near field radio communication).

The wireless LAN I / F 105 executes wireless LAN communication such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac. By connecting to an external access point, the wireless LAN I / F 105 participates in the wireless LAN network formed by the access point.

Next, the software configuration of the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram realized by the CPU 101 executing the control program stored in the flash memory 103.

OS201 is software that controls the operation of the mobile terminal 100. Various applications can be installed on the mobile terminal 100, including the printing application 202 described later. The OS 201 controls the operation of the mobile terminal 100 according to the instructions received from each application and the user's operation instructions input via the operation panel 104.

The print application 202 is an application that provides a print function to the user. The print application 202 instructs the OS 201 to search for a printing device, generate a print job, send the generated print job, and the like. Various applications other than the printing application 202 are installed in the mobile terminal 100, but the description of the other applications will be omitted.

Next, the operation procedure of the user and the screen displayed by the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

The search screen 300 of FIG. 3A is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202, and is a screen for the user to instruct the user to start the search of the printing device. When the user selects the search start button 301 (touches the touch panel), the mobile terminal 100 starts searching for the printing device. The search for this printing device is realized by the wireless LAN I / F 105 transmitting the search packet via the access point to which the mobile terminal 100 is connected. When the search for the printing device is started, the mobile terminal 100 displays the searching screen 310 of FIG. 3B.

The searching screen 310 of FIG. 3B is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202. On the searching screen 310, a message 312 indicating that the printing device is being searched is displayed. When the user selects the guide screen display button 311, the mobile terminal 100 ends the search for the printing device and displays the guide screen 400 of FIG. 4A or the error screen 410 of FIG. 4B. The guide screen 400 and the error screen 410 will be described later. When the printing device is found by the search, the mobile terminal 100 displays the search result screen 320 of FIG. 3C. On the other hand, if the printing device cannot be found by the search, the mobile terminal 100 displays the search result screen 330 of FIG. 3 (D).

The search result screen 320 of FIG. 3C is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202. On the search result screen 320, identification information (for example, a model name or an IP address) of the printing device found by the search is displayed in a list. When the user selects a desired printing device and selects the enter button 322, the printing application 202 identifies the printing device selected by the user as the destination of the print job. Further, when the user selects the guide screen display button 321, the mobile terminal 100 displays the guide screen 400 of FIG. 4A or the error screen 410 of FIG. 4B. The guide screen 400 and the error screen 410 will be described later.

The search result screen 330 of FIG. 3D is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202. On the search result screen 330, a message 332 indicating that the printing device could not be found is displayed. Further, when the user selects the guide screen display button 331, the mobile terminal 100 displays the guide screen 400 of FIG. 4A or the error screen 410 of FIG. 4B. The guide screen 400 and the error screen 410 will be described later.

The guide screen 400 of FIG. 4A is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202. The guide screen 400 is a screen displayed when any of the guide screen display buttons 311, 321, and 331 is selected by the user and the mobile terminal 100 is connected to the access point. If the desired printing device cannot be found by the search, it is highly possible that the printing device does not exist in the wireless LAN network in which the mobile terminal 100 participates. On the guide screen 400, the SSID 401 of the access point to which the mobile terminal 100 is connected is displayed, and a message 402 prompting the user to connect the printing device to the SSID 401 is displayed. By confirming the guide screen 400, the user can join the desired printing device to the wireless LAN network in which the mobile terminal 100 participates. A manual confirmation button 403 is also displayed on the guide screen 400. When the user selects the manual confirmation button 403, the mobile terminal 100 displays a manual showing an operation procedure for setting the wireless LAN of the printing device.

The error screen 410 of FIG. 4B is a screen displayed by the operation panel 104 according to the instruction of the printing application 202. The error screen 410 is a screen displayed when any of the guide screen display buttons 311, 321, and 331 is selected by the user and the mobile terminal 100 is not connected to the access point. On the error screen 410, a message 411 prompting the user to connect the mobile terminal 100 to the access point is displayed.

Next, the process executed by the mobile terminal 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Each step shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is processed by the CPU 101 expanding the control program stored in the flash memory 103 into the RAM 102 and executing the steps. The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is executed when any of the guide screen display buttons 311, 321, and 331 is selected by the user.

In step S501, the printing application 202 determines whether or not the printing device is being searched. If the printing device is being searched, the process proceeds to step S502. On the other hand, if the printing device is not being searched, the process proceeds to step S503.

Step S502 will be described. In step S502, the printing application 202 ends the search for the printing device.

Step S503 will be described. In step S503, the print application 202 determines whether or not the mobile terminal 100 is connected to the access point. The print application 202 inquires the OS 201 whether or not it is connected to the access point. When the print application 202 confirms the answer from the OS 201 to this inquiry, the process of step S503 is realized. If the mobile terminal 100 is connected to the access point, the process proceeds to step S504. On the other hand, if the mobile terminal 100 is not connected to the access point, the process proceeds to step S505.

Next, step S504 will be described. In step S504, the print application 202 instructs the OS 201 to display the guide screen 400. Under the control of OS201, the operation panel 104 displays the guide screen 400. The print application 202 acquires the SSID of the access point to which the mobile terminal 100 is connected from the OS 201. The SSID acquired from this OS 201 is displayed on the guide screen 400. By checking the guide screen 400, the user can easily specify which access point the printing device should be connected to in order to execute wireless LAN communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the printing device.

Next, step S505 will be described. In step S505, the print application 202 instructs the OS 201 to display the error screen 410. Under the control of OS201, the operation panel 104 displays an error screen 410.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiment to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or device reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by the processing to be performed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

100 mobile terminal 101 CPU
104 Operation panel 105 Wireless LAN I / F
201 OS
202 printing application

Claims (25)

It is a method performed by running an application on a mobile terminal.
Have the mobile terminal execute the search for the printing device,
The identification information of at least one printing device found by the search is displayed on the mobile terminal.
The print data is transmitted to the mobile terminal to at least one printing device that is the identification information of the at least one printing device found by the search and corresponds to the specified identification information.
It is a display of a guide of wireless setting for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal and another printing device not found by the search, and is a display of wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the other printing device. A method characterized by controlling a process of displaying the display of the guide for setting the SSID for the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the search is performed by selecting a search object. The method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the user selects the identification information of the printing device as the destination to which the print data should be transmitted from the at least one printing device found by the search. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a message prompting the user to select the SSID by the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. When the printing device is not found, the mobile terminal is displayed with information indicating that the printing device was not found.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein an object for displaying the SSID on the mobile terminal is displayed together with the information. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein an object for displaying manual information regarding the setting of the wireless network of the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. The invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein an error is displayed when the mobile terminal is not connected to the access point when the operation for displaying the SSID is received on the mobile terminal. Method. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the SSID is the SSID of an access point to which the mobile terminal is connected. It's an application program
Let the mobile terminal perform the search for the printing device,
The identification information of at least one printing device found by the search is displayed on the mobile terminal.
The print data is transmitted to the mobile terminal to at least one printing device that is the identification information of the at least one printing device found by the search and corresponds to the specified identification information.
It is a display of a guide of wireless setting for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal and another printing device not found by the search, and is a display of wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the other printing device. An application program characterized by causing a computer to execute a process of displaying the display of the guide for setting an SSID for the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal. The application program according to claim 9 , wherein the search is performed by selecting a search object. The application program according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the user selects the identification information of the printing device as the destination to which the print data should be transmitted from the at least one printing device found by the search. The application program according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , wherein a message prompting the user to select the SSID by the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. When the printing device is not found, the mobile terminal is displayed with information indicating that the printing device was not found.
The application program according to any one of claims 9 to 12 , wherein an object for displaying the SSID on the mobile terminal is displayed together with the information. The application program according to any one of claims 9 to 13 , wherein an object for displaying manual information regarding the setting of the wireless network of the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. The invention according to any one of claims 9 to 14 , wherein an error is displayed when the mobile terminal is not connected to the access point when the operation for displaying the SSID is received on the mobile terminal. Application program. The application program according to any one of claims 9 to 15 , wherein the SSID is an SSID of an access point to which the mobile terminal is connected. A computer-readable storage medium that stores the application program according to any one of claims 9 to 16 . A mobile device with an application installed
A search method for performing a search for printing devices, and
A display means for displaying the identification information of at least one printing device found by the search, and
A transmission means for transmitting print data to at least one printing device, which is the identification information of the printing device found by the search and corresponds to the specified identification information.
It is a display of a guide of wireless setting for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal and another printing device not found by the search, and is a display of wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the other printing device. A mobile terminal comprising a control means for controlling a process of displaying the display of the guide for setting an SSID for the purpose. The mobile terminal according to claim 18 , wherein the search is performed by selecting a search object. The mobile terminal according to claim 18 or 19 , wherein the user is made to select the identification information of the destination printing device to which the print data is to be transmitted from the at least one printing device found by the search. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 18 to 20 , wherein a message prompting the user to select the SSID by the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. Further having a display means to display information indicating that the printing device was not found when the printing device was not found.
The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 18 to 21 , wherein an object for displaying the SSID on the mobile terminal is displayed together with the information. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 18 to 22 , wherein an object for displaying manual information regarding the setting of a wireless network of the printing device is displayed together with the SSID. The invention according to any one of claims 18 to 23 , wherein an error is displayed when the mobile terminal is not connected to the access point when the operation for displaying the SSID is received on the mobile terminal. Mobile terminal. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 18 to 24 , wherein the SSID is the SSID of an access point to which the mobile terminal is connected.

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