IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150062629A1
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Tamura, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 1/32117 in a separate transmission or protocol signal prior to or subsequent to the image data transmission, e.g. in digital identification signal [DIS], in non standard setup [NSS] or in non standard field [NSF] for mode signalling H04N1/333
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3278 Transmission

Abstract

In an image forming system, a map image generation portion obtains positional information of image forming apparatuses having been detected, from the image forming apparatuses having been detected, and generates a map image that indicates, by disposing device icons representing the image forming apparatuses having been detected, a distance and a direction of each image forming apparatus having been detected, relative to a present position and a present orientation of a mobile terminal apparatus, based on the present position and the present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus and the positional information of the image forming apparatuses having been detected. An output instruction portion transmits an output instruction, to the image forming apparatus corresponding to a device icon selected from among the device icons in the map image displayed on a display device.

Claims

1. An image forming system comprising:

one or plural image forming apparatuses; and

a mobile terminal apparatus configured to transmit an output instruction to any of the one or plural image forming apparatuses, wherein

each image forming apparatus transmits, when receiving, from the mobile terminal apparatus, a request for transmitting positional information of the image forming apparatus, the positional information of the image forming apparatus to the mobile terminal apparatus, and

the mobile terminal apparatus includes;

a display device;

a position detection device configured to detect a present position of the mobile terminal apparatus;

a direction detection device configured to detect a present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus;

a wireless communication device;

a device detection portion configured to detect the image forming apparatuses that can be used, by using the wireless communication device;

a map image generation portion configured to obtain the positional information of the image forming apparatuses having been detected, from the image forming apparatuses having been detected, and generate a map image that indicates, by disposing device icons representing the image forming apparatuses having been detected, a distance and a direction of each image forming apparatus having been detected, relative to the present position and the present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus, based on the present position and the present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus and the positional information of the image forming apparatuses having been detected; and

an output instruction portion configured to transmit the output instruction, to the image forming apparatus corresponding to a device icon selected from among the device icons in the map image displayed on the display device.

2. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus further includes:

an input device; and

a user interface portion configured to cause the display device to display the map image, and identify the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected, by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, from among the device icons in the map image.

3. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein

the map image generation portion disposes, in the map image, a document icon representing a document to be outputted according to the output instruction, and

the user interface portion detects a flicking operation performed on the document icon as the user'"'"'s operation, and identifies the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected by the flicking operation.

4. The image forming system according to claim 2, wherein, when a plurality of the device icons that are close to each other are selected by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, the user interface portion operates to display an enlarged image including the plurality of the device icons, and identifies the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected, by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, from among the plurality of the device icons in the enlarged image.

5. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein

the map image generation portion

(a) disposes, in the map image, a document icon representing a document to be outputted according to the output instruction, and

(b) moves, when the image forming apparatus to which the output instruction is to be transmitted has been already determined, the document icon in the map image toward the device icon representing the image forming apparatus to which the output instruction is to be transmitted.

6. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus further includes an imaging device, and

the map image generation portion disposes the device icons so as to superimpose the device icons on an image taken by the imaging device at the moment, and generates the map image.

7. The image forming system according to claim 6, wherein the map image generation portion disposes, when a predetermined operation by a user is detected, the device icons so as to superimpose the device icons on the image taken by the imaging device at the moment, and generates the map image.

8. The image forming system according to claim 1, wherein the map image generation portion operates to display a map image that includes, in an edge portion of the map image, an image representing a direction in which the image forming apparatus of which the device icon is not displayed in the map image is positioned, so as to correspond to the image forming apparatus which is included in the image forming apparatuses having been detected and of which the device icon is not displayed in the map image.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an output instruction program by which a computer in a mobile terminal apparatus that includes:

a display device;

a position detection device configured to detect a present position;

a direction detection device configured to detect a present orientation; and

a wireless communication device, and that transmits an output instruction to image forming apparatuses, is caused to function as;

a device detection portion configured to detect the image forming apparatuses that can be used, by using the wireless communication device;

a map image generation portion configured to obtain positional information of the image forming apparatuses having been detected, from the image forming apparatuses having been detected, and generate a map image that indicates, by disposing device icons representing the image forming apparatuses having been detected, a distance and a direction of each image forming apparatus having been detected, relative to the present position and the present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus, based on the present position and the present orientation of the mobile terminal apparatus and the positional information of the image forming apparatuses having been detected; and

an output instruction portion configured to transmit the output instruction, to the image forming apparatus corresponding to a device icon selected from among the device icons in the map image displayed on the display device.

10. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 9, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus further includes an input device, and

the computer is caused to further function as a user interface portion configured to cause the display device to display the map image, and identify the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected, by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, from among the device icons in the map image.

11. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 10, wherein

the map image generation portion disposes, in the map image, a document icon representing a document to be outputted according to the output instruction, and

the user interface portion detects a flicking operation performed on the document icon as the user'"'"'s operation, and identifies the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected by the flicking operation.

12. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 10, wherein, when a plurality of the device icons that are close to each other are selected by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, the user interface portion operates to display an enlarged image including the plurality of the device icons, and identifies the image forming apparatus corresponding to the device icon selected, by a user'"'"'s operation performed on the input device, from among the plurality of the device icons in the enlarged image.

13. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 9, wherein

the map image generation portion

(a) disposes, in the map image, a document icon representing a document to be outputted according to the output instruction, and

(b) moves, when the image forming apparatus to which the output instruction is to be transmitted has been already determined, the document icon in the map image toward the device icon representing the image forming apparatus to which the output instruction is to be transmitted.

14. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 9, wherein

the mobile terminal apparatus further includes an imaging device, and

the map image generation portion disposes the device icons so as to superimpose the device icons on an image taken by the imaging device at the moment, and generates the map image.

15. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 14, wherein the map image generation portion disposes, when a predetermined operation by a user is detected, the device icons so as to superimpose the device icons on the image taken by the imaging device at the moment, and generates the map image.

16. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the output instruction program according to claim 9, wherein the map image generation portion operates to display a map image that includes, in an edge portion of the map image, an image representing a direction in which the image forming apparatus of which the device icon is not displayed in the map image is positioned, so as to correspond to the image forming apparatus which is included in the image forming apparatuses having been detected and of which the device icon is not displayed in the map image.