Print terminal apparatus

• US 20030129970A1
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawaoka, Yoshiki
• Granted Patent: US 7,538,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/44 Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms having dual functions or combined with, or coupled to, apparatus performing other functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information

Abstract

The print terminal apparatus can print an image exchanged via an electronic mail without preparing any printer personally. In printing an image attached to the electronic mail that a user received in the past, identification information of the user such as a portable telephone number (mail address) of the user is firstly input on a monitor with a touch panel for a print terminal apparatus installed in a shop front. The print terminal apparatus retrieves the image attached to the electronic mail addressed to the user from a mail server via a communication line interface into a storage on the basis of this identification information of the user, and displays a list of images on the monitor with the touch panel. If the image to be printed is selected on this monitor, and a charged amount of cash is thrown into a coin machine, a selected image is printed by a print engine.

Claims

1. A print terminal apparatus, comprising:

a communication device which communicates with a server that stores an electronic mail with an image attached;

an input device which inputs the identification information of a user, and a selection of an image to be printed;

an image retrieving device which retrieves the image attached to the electronic mail addressed to the user from the server via the communication device on the basis of the identification information of the user input by the input device;

a display device which displays a list of the retrieved images; and

a printing device which prints a selected image if a selection instruction for selecting the image to be printed from the list of images displayed on the display device is input by the input device.

2. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing device prints characters of the electronic mail along with the image.

3. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a billing device which bills a print output by the printing device.

4. A print terminal apparatus, comprising:

a communication device which communicates with a server that stores an electronic mail with an image attached;

an input device which inputs the identification information of a user;

an image retrieving device which retrieves the image with a print request flag set beforehand and attached to the electronic mail addressed to the user from the server via the communication device on the basis of the identification information of the user input by the input device; and

a printing device which prints the retrieved image.

5. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printing device prints characters of the electronic mail along with the image.

6. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a billing device which bills a print output by the printing device.

7. A print terminal apparatus, comprising:

a communication device which communicates with a server that stores an electronic mail with an image attached;

an input device which inputs the identification information of a user;

an image retrieving device which retrieves the image attached to the electronic mail which the user transmits at a predetermined address of the print terminal apparatus via the communication device from the server on the basis of the identification information of the user input by the input device and the predetermined address of the print terminal apparatus; and

a printing device which prints the retrieved image.

8. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the printing device prints characters of the electronic mail along with the image.

9. The print terminal apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a billing device which bills a print output by the printing device.