IMAGE RECORDING SYSTEM, IMAGE RECORDING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER USABLE MEDIUM THEREFOR

• US 20120250059A1
• Filed: 03/29/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Brother Industries Limited)
• Inventors: ITOGAWA, Yoshihiro, KISHIMOTO, Noriaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,830,496 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00477 Indicating status, e.g. of a job for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N2201/3219
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00697 in an output tray
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00771 Indicating or reporting, e.g. issuing an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00896 using a low-power mode, e.g. standby
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32106 separate from the image data, e.g. in a different computer file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4413 involving the use of passwords, ID codes or the like, e.g. PIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0036 Detecting or checking connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0055 By radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3205 of identification information, e.g. name or ID code H04N2201/3209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

An image recording system is provided. The image recording system includes an image recording apparatus, a mobile terminal to wirelessly manipulate the image recording apparatus and including a display device, a receiver to receive a signal from one of the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, a distance determining unit to determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, a range determining unit to determine a range, which includes the detected distance amongst a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus, a storage to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens associated with the plurality of ranges respectively, and a display controller to control the display device to display one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the detected distance.

Claims

1. An image recording system, comprising:

an image recording apparatus configured to record an image on a recording medium;

a mobile terminal configured to wirelessly manipulate the image recording apparatus and include a display device;

a receiver configured to receive a signal wirelessly transmitted from one of the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal;

a distance determining unit configured to determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the signal received by the receiver;

a range determining unit configured to determine a range, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, amongst a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus;

a storage configured to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens, each of which is associated with one of the plurality of ranges; and

a display controller configured to control the display device to display one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.

2. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the image recording apparatus includes:

a recording head configured to record the image on the recording medium;

a judging unit configured to judge whether image data provided from the mobile terminal requires an authentication process, in which a user accessing the image data is authenticated;

an authentication unit configured to execute the authentication process when user information entered by the user through the mobile terminal and user information included in the image data are determined to be identical;

a record controller, which is configured to control the recording head to record the image when the judging unit judges that the image data provided from the mobile terminal requires the authentication process and after the authentication of the user and configured to control the recording head to record the image without the authentication of the user when the judging unit judges that the image data provided from the mobile terminal does not require the authentication process; and

wherein, when the judging unit judges that the image data provided from the mobile terminal requires the authentication process, the display controller manipulates the display device to display an operation screen for the user to enter the user information through the mobile terminal to present as the one of the plurality of operation screens to be displayed when the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal falls in a smallest one of the plurality of ranges, which includes a shortest assumable distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.

3. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the image recording apparatus includes a plurality of discharge trays, in which the recording medium with the recorded image is discharged;

and

wherein the display controller manipulates the display device to display an operation screen indicating one of the discharge trays, in which the recording medium with the image recorded according to the image data provided from the mobile terminal is discharged, to present as the one of the plurality of operation screens to be displayed when the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal falls in a smallest one of the plurality of ranges, which includes a shortest assumable distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.

4. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the image recording apparatus includes a copier unit;

and

wherein the display controller manipulates the display device to display an operation screen concerning manipulation of the copier unit to present as the one of the plurality of operation screens to be displayed when the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal falls in a smallest one of the plurality of ranges, which includes a shortest assumable distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.

5. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the storage, an operation screen for the user to enter at least one of an operation setting and an image recording instruction for the image recording apparatus is stored in association with at least one of the plurality of ranges including a distance which is one of greater than and equivalent to a predetermined reference distance.

6. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein, when the mobile terminal is registered as an administrator'"'"'s mobile terminal, the display controller manipulates the display device to display an operation screen concerning administration when the distance between the image recording apparatus and the administrator'"'"'s mobile terminal is determined to be one of smaller than and equal to a predetermined reference distance.

7. The image reading system according to claim 1,

wherein one of the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal includes the receiver, the distance determining unit, the range determining unit, the storage, and the display controller.

8. The image recording system according to claim 1,

wherein the mobile terminal includes the receiver configured to receive the signal wirelessly transmitted from the image recording apparatus, the distance determining unit, the range determining unit, the storage and the display controller.

9. The image reading system according to claim 1,

wherein the image recording apparatus includes the receiver configured to receive the signal wirelessly transmitted from the mobile terminal, the distance determining unit, the range determining unit, and the storage;

and

wherein the mobile terminal including the display controller.

11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the image recording apparatus is operable in one of switchable operation modes including a power-saving mode, in which consumption of electricity reduced, and a regular power mode;

and

wherein, when the image recording apparatus is in the power-saving mode, and when the range determined by the controller is one of smaller than and equal to a predetermined range, the operation modes are switched from the power-saving mode to the regular power mode.

12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the image recording apparatus is configured to communicate with a plurality of mobile terminals and to receive signals wirelessly transmitted from the plurality of mobile terminals;

and

wherein the image recording unit records images for image data provided from the plurality of mobile terminals according to an order determined by closeness of the distances between the image recording apparatus and each of the plurality of mobile terminals.

10. An image recording apparatus, comprising:

an image recording unit configured to record an image on a recording medium;

a communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile terminal having a display device and receive a signal wirelessly transmitted from the mobile terminal;

a storage configured to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens, each of which is associated with one of a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus; and

a controller configured to;

determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the signal received by the receiver;

determine a range, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, amongst the plurality of ranges; and

transmit the information concerning one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, to the mobile terminal.

13. A non-transitory computer usable medium containing computer readable instructions executable by a processor of an image recording apparatus, which is configured to record an image on a recording medium and to wirelessly communicate with a mobile terminal to receive a signal transmitted from the mobile terminal and includes a storage configured to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens, each of which is associated with one of a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus, the computer readable instructions causing the processor to execute functions, comprising:

determining a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the signal received by the receiver;

determining a range, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, amongst the plurality of ranges;

transmitting the information concerning one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.

14. An image recording system, comprising:

an image recording apparatus configured to record an image on a recording medium;

a mobile terminal configured to wirelessly manipulate the image recording apparatus and include a display device;

a receiver configured to receive a signal wirelessly transmitted from one of the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal;

a distance determining unit configured to determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the signal received by the receiver;

a range determining unit configured to determine a range, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, amongst a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by predetermined reference distances originating from the image recording apparatus;

a storage configured to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens, each of which is associated with one of the plurality of ranges based on usability of the operation screen, the usability depending on the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal; and

a display controller configured to control the display device to display one of the plurality of operation screens associated with the one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, preferentially over the remaining of the plurality of operation screens.

15. An image recording system, comprising:

an image recording apparatus configured to record an image on a recording medium;

a mobile terminal configured to wirelessly manipulate the image recording apparatus and include a display device;

wherein the mobile terminal comprises;

a receiver configured to receive a signal wirelessly transmitted from the image recording apparatus;

a storage configured to store information concerning a plurality of operation screens, each of which is associated with one of a plurality of continuously incremental ranges partitioned by a predetermined reference distance originating from the image recording apparatus; and

a controller configured to;

determine a distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal based on the signal received by the receiver;

determine a range, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal, amongst the plurality of ranges; and

control the display device to display one of the plurality of operation screens associated with one of the plurality of ranges, which includes the distance between the image recording apparatus and the mobile terminal.