Image supply apparatus, control method therefor, and printing system

• US 20050134892A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Akitoshi, Goto, Fumihiro, Aichi, Takao, Hirabayashi, Hiromitsu
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,558 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00278 with a printing apparatus, e.g. a laser beam printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32789 Details of handshaking H04N1/32793, H04N1/32795 and H04N1/32797 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0015 Control of image communication with the connected apparatus, e.g. signalling capability

Abstract

According to this invention, an intended image is transferred and printed even in a system which transfers image data by a handle upon reception of a print request list described by the file name of an image. In order to realize this, according to this invention, when a DPOF print request file which describes an image to be printed by the file name of the image exists in the memory card of a digital camera (3012) serving as an image supply side, a new file in which the file name in the print request file is replaced by a handle is generated and transmitted to a printer (1000).

Claims

1. An image supply apparatus which has an interface for directly connecting a printer, receives a transfer request for image data to be printed from the printer by a handler that specifies image data stored in a removable storage medium, and supplies an image specified by the handler to the printer, characterized by comprising:

conversion means for, when the image supply apparatus can directly communicate with the printer via the interface and a print request list file which describes by a file name an image to be printed exists in the storage medium, performing a conversion process in order to generate a new print request list file in which at least a description of the file name in the print request list file is converted into a description expressed by a handler; and

means for transmitting the new print request list file converted by said conversion means as an object to the printer.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the print request file serving as an original converted by said conversion means includes a file in a format that describes an image layout and an image link.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the print request list file serving as an original converted by said conversion means includes a DPOF file.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the interface with the printer is connected by a USB, and communication is performed via a PTP protocol layer using the interface.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the image supply apparatus further comprises image sensing means for optically sensing an image, and a user interface for designating creation of the print request file serving as an original converted by said conversion means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said conversion means performs the conversion process in an initial stage upon connecting the printer.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that said conversion means performs the conversion process when the print request list file serving as an original converted by said conversion means is created using the user interface upon connecting the printer.

8. A method of controlling an image supply apparatus which has an interface for directly connecting a printer, receives a transfer request for image data to be printed from the printer by a handler that specifies image data stored in a removable storage medium, and supplies an image specified by the handler to the printer, characterized by comprising:

a conversion step of, when the image supply apparatus can directly communicate with the printer via the interface and a print request list file which describes by a file name an image to be printed exists in the storage medium, performing a conversion process in order to generate a new print request list file in which at least a description of the file name in the print request list file is converted into a description expressed by a handler; and

a step of transmitting the new print request list file converted in the conversion step as an object to the printer.

9. A print system constituted by a printer, and an image supply apparatus which has an interface for directly connecting the printer, receives a transfer request for image data to be printed from the printer by a handler that specifies image data stored in a removable storage medium, and supplies an image specified by the handler to the printer, characterized in that the printer comprises

request means for receiving a print request list file from the image supply apparatus, and requesting an image to be printed from the image supply apparatus by using a handle in accordance with a description in the print request list file, and

print means for printing image data transferred from the image supply apparatus as a result of the request by said request means, and

the image supply apparatus comprises

conversion means for, when the image supply apparatus can directly communicate with the printer via the interface and a print request list file which describes by a file name an image to be printed exists in the storage medium, performing a conversion process in order to generate a new print request list file in which at least a description of the file name in the print request list file is converted into a description expressed by a handler,

means for transmitting the new print request list file converted by the conversion means as an object to the printer, and

means for outputting, to the printer, image data corresponding to the handler requested by the printer.

10. A print system constituted by a printer, and an image supply apparatus which has an interface for directly connecting the printer, receives a transfer request for image data to be printed from the printer by a handler that specifies image data stored in a removable storage medium, and supplies an image specified by the handler to the printer, characterized in that the printer comprises

means for receiving a print request list file from the image supply apparatus,

means for sequentially extracting image file names subjected to printing that are described in the received print request list file, creating a file which describes the extracted image file names and commands for requesting corresponding handlers, and outputting the file to the image supply apparatus,

means for receiving a correspondence list file of file names and handlers that is supplied from the image supply apparatus, and

means for requesting an image to be printed from the image supply apparatus by using the handler in accordance with the received print request list file and the correspondence list of the file names and the handlers, and

the image supply apparatus comprises

means for, when the image supply apparatus can directly communicate with the printer via the interface and a print request list file which describes by a file name an image to be printed exists in the storage medium, outputting the print request list file to the printer,

means for, when a file requested by a handler corresponding to a file name is received from the printer, creating a correspondence list of a file name and a handle of each image, and outputting the correspondence list to the printer, and

means for, when image data to be printed is requested by the printer using a handle, outputting a corresponding image to the printer.

11. An image supply apparatus which has an interface for directly connecting a printer, and supplies image data stored in a removable storage medium to the printer to cause the printer to print an image while controlling the printer, characterized by comprising:

conversion means for, when the image supply apparatus can directly communicate with the printer via the interface and a print request list file which describes by a file name an image to be printed exists in the storage medium, converting at least a description of the file name in the print request list file into a description expressed by a handler; and

control means for communicating with the printer by using the handler obtained by conversion by said conversion means, and causing the printer to print an image.