IMAGE OUTPUT SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, IMAGE INPUT APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND IMAGE OUTPUT APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090323108A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimma, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,289,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00251 with an apparatus for taking photographic images, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00973 from a remote device, e.g. receiving via the internet instructions input to a computer terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/001 Sharing resources, e.g. processing power or memory, with a connected apparatus or enhancing the capability of the still picture apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0072 Detecting the status of a connected apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

An image output system connecting an image input apparatus and an image output apparatus by a close proximity wireless communication, and outputting by the image output apparatus of image data transmitted from the image input apparatus by the wireless communication. The image input apparatus detects a connection condition of the wireless communication, generates a script for defining an output processing according to at least a user operation, and transmits the script to the image output apparatus when the disconnection is detected after image data transmission, and the connection is detected again after disconnection detection. The image output apparatus detects the connection condition of the wireless communication, suspend output processing of the image data when the disconnection is detected during the image data output processing, and controls the image data output processing according to the script received from the image input apparatus when the connection is detected again.

Claims

1. An image output system which connects an image input apparatus and an image output apparatus by a close proximity wireless communication, and outputs image data, which is transmitted from the image input apparatus by the close proximity wireless communication, by the image output apparatus,

the image input apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a first detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation that designates output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus;

a script generation unit configured to generate a script used to define the output processing in accordance with at least the user operation accepted by the operation unit; and

a first control unit configured to control the first communication unit to transmit the script generated by the script generation unit to the image output apparatus when the first detection unit detects the disconnection after the first communication unit transmits image data, and the first detection unit detects the connection again after detection of the disconnection, and

the image output apparatus comprising;

a second communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a second detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an image output unit configured to output image data; and

a second control unit configured to suspend output processing of the image data by the image output unit when the second detection unit detects the disconnection during the output processing of the image data, which is received by the second communication unit, by the image output unit, and to control the output processing of the image data by the image output unit in accordance with the script received from the image input apparatus by the second communication unit when the second detection unit detects the connection again.

2. A method of controlling an image output system, which connects an image input apparatus and an image output apparatus by a close proximity wireless communication, and outputs image data, which is transmitted from the image input apparatus by the close proximity wireless communication, by the image output apparatus,

the image input apparatus comprising:

a first communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a first detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation that designates output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus; and

a script generation unit configured to generate a script used to define the output processing in accordance with at least the user operation accepted by the operation unit, and

the image output apparatus comprising;

a second communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a second detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected; and

an image output unit configured to output image data,

the method comprising;

an image data transmission step of causing the image input apparatus to transmit image data using the first communication unit to the image output apparatus;

a suspend step of causing the image output apparatus to suspend the output processing by the image output unit when the second detection unit detects the disconnection when the second communication unit receives the transmitted image data and the image output unit outputs the image data;

a transmission step of causing the first communication unit to transmit the script generated by the script generation unit to the image output apparatus when the first detection unit detects the disconnection after the image input apparatus transmits the image data in the image data transmission step, and the first detection unit detects the connection again after detection of the disconnection; and

a control step of causing the image output apparatus to control the second communication unit to receive the script transmitted by the first communication unit, and control the output processing of the image data by the image output unit in accordance with the received script when the second detection unit detects the connection again.

3. An image input apparatus for transmitting image data to an image output apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether a state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation that designates output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus;

a script generation unit configured to generate a script used to define the output processing in accordance with at least the user operation accepted by the operation unit; and

a control unit configured to control the communication unit to transmit the script generated by the script generation unit to the image output apparatus when the detection unit detects the disconnection after the first communication unit transmits image data, and the detection unit detects the connection again after detection of the disconnection.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the script generation unit to generate the script, which defines at least one of canceling of the output processing, resuming of the output processing, and canceling of the output processing and starting of output processing of new image data, in accordance with the user operation associated with the output processing of the image data suspended by the image output apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the operation unit does not accept any user operation from when the detection unit detects the disconnection until the detection unit detects the connection again, the script generation unit generates the script which defines resuming of the output processing.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit configured to display a message for a user,

wherein when the detection unit detects the disconnection, the control unit controls the display unit to display the message at least indicating that the close proximity wireless communication is disconnected.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein when the detection unit detects the disconnection, the control unit controls the display unit to further display the message indicating output processing that can be designated for the image output apparatus when the close proximity wireless communication between the image input apparatus and the image output apparatus is connected again.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the message indicating the output processing that can be designated is a message indicating that the suspended output processing of image data is resumed by an operation for re-connecting the image input apparatus and the image output apparatus.

9. A method of controlling an image input apparatus for transmitting image data to an image output apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, the image input apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation that designates output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus;

a script generation unit configured to generate a script used to define the output processing in accordance with at least the user operation accepted by the operation unit; and

a control unit configured to control a communication by the communication unit, the method comprising;

a communication step of causing the communication unit to perform the close proximity wireless communication and transmit image data to the image output apparatus;

a detection step of causing the detection unit to detect whether the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected; and

a transmission step of causing, when the disconnection is detected in the detection step after the image data is transmitted in the communication step, and the detection unit detects the connection again after detection of the disconnection, the control unit to control the communication unit to transmit the script generated by the script generation unit to the image output apparatus.

10. An image output apparatus for outputting image data transmitted from an image input apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an image output unit configured to output image data received from the image input apparatus by the communication unit; and

a control unit configured to suspend output processing of the image data by the image output unit when the detection unit detects the disconnection during the output processing of the image data by the image output unit, and to control the output processing of the image data by the image output unit in accordance with a script which is received from the image input apparatus by the communication unit and is used to define output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus when the detection unit detects the connection again.

11. A method of controlling an image output apparatus for outputting image data transmitted from an image input apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, the image input apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an image output unit configured to output image data; and

a control unit configured to control the image output unit and the communication unit, the method comprising;

a step of causing the communication unit to receive image data from the image input apparatus;

an image output step of causing the image output unit to output the received image data;

a detection step of causing the detection unit to detect whether the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

a suspend step of causing, when the disconnection is detected in the detection step when the image data is output in the image output step, the control unit to suspend output processing of the image data; and

a control step of causing, when the detection unit detects the connection again after the disconnection, the control unit to control the output processing of image data by the image output unit in accordance with a script which is received from the image input apparatus by the communication unit and is used to define the output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus.

12. A computer program stored in a computer readable storage medium which causes a computer to function as an image input apparatus for transmitting image data to an image output apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether a state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an operation unit configured to accept a user operation that designates output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus;

a script generation unit configured to generate a script used to define the output processing in accordance with at least the user operation accepted by the operation unit; and

a control unit configured to control the communication unit to transmit the script generated by the script generation unit to the image output apparatus when the detection unit detects the disconnection after the first communication unit transmits image data, and the detection unit detects the connection again after detection of the disconnection.

13. A computer program stored in a computer readable storage medium which causes a computer to function as an image output apparatus for outputting image data transmitted from an image input apparatus connected by a close proximity wireless communication, comprising:

a communication unit configured to perform the close proximity wireless communication;

a detection unit configured to detect whether state of the close proximity wireless communication is connected or disconnected;

an image output unit configured to output image data received from the image input apparatus by the communication unit; and

a control unit configured to suspend output processing of the image data by the image output unit when the detection unit detects the disconnection during the output processing of the image data by the image output unit, and to control the output processing of the image data by the image output unit in accordance with a script which is received from the image input apparatus by the communication unit and is used to define output processing to be executed by the image output apparatus when the detection unit detects the connection again.