Data processing apparatus, and data processing method

• US 7,260,828 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Aratani, Shuntaro, Ohno, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): SALCE, JASON P
• Application Number:
  US09/921,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• Field of Search: 725 37- 61, 725/135, 725/141, 725/153, 725/133, 708/173
• US Class Current: 725/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00294 for printing images at a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4117 for generating hard copies of the content, e.g. printer, electronic paper interfaces to printers G06F3/12; printing data G06K15/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42226 Reprogrammable remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8186 specially adapted to be executed by a peripheral of the client device, e.g. by a reprogrammable remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A data processing apparatus comprises a processing unit, for performing processes related to multiple functions, an allocation unit, for allocating, to the multiple processes, different codes for performing the multiple processes, and a control unit, for controlling the processing unit to perform the processes in accordance with codes allocated by the allocation unit, wherein the allocation unit allocates a predetermined code for a specific process of the multiple processes, and allocates a code, other than the predetermined code, for processes other than the specific process.

Claims

1. A data processing apparatus comprising:

a processing unit adapted to perform multiple processes;

an allocation unit adapted to allocate predetermined codes to predetermined processes of the multiple processes, and to allocate codes other than the predetermined codes to processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof;

a code input unit adapted to cause a user to input a code for performing a respective one of the processes;

a control unit adapted to control said processing unit so as to perform the process corresponding to the code input by said code input unit; and

an output unit adapted to output printing data, which indicates the codes allocated by said allocation unit, to a printer,

wherein in accordance with a print instruction being provided by a user, or in accordance with reaching of a time set in advance, said allocation unit allocates codes other than the predetermined codes to the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof, and said output unit outputs the printing data, which indicates the codes allocated by said allocation unit, to the printer.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined processes of the multiple processes include at least one of a sending and receiving process of electronic mail data and a World Wide Web browsing process.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit adapted to receive a television signal, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of each of a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a searching unit adapted to search a program on a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal, in accordance with a predetermined search condition, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of the program searched by said searching unit.

5. A data processing method for data processing apparatus having multiple functions, said method comprising the steps of:

a processing step of performing multiple processes;

an allocating step of allocating predetermined codes to predetermined processes of the multiple processes, and allocating codes other than the predetermined codes to processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof;

a code inputting step of causing a user to input a code for performing a respective one of the processes;

a control step of controlling said processing step so as to perform the process corresponding to the code input in said code inputting step; and

an outputting step of outputting printing data, which indicates the codes allocated in said allocating step, to a printer,

wherein in accordance with a print instruction being provided by a user, or in accordance with reaching of a time set in advance, said allocating step allocates codes other than the predetermined codes to the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof, and said output step outputs the printing data, which indicates the codes allocated in said allocation step, to printing means.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined processes of the multiple processes include at least one of a sending and receiving process of electronic mail data and a World Wide Web browsing process.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising a receiving step of receiving a television signal, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of each of a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising a searching step of searching a program on a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal, in accordance with a predetermined search condition, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of the program searched in said searching step.

9. A data processing apparatus comprising:

processing means adapted to perform multiple processes;

allocation means adapted to allocate predetermined codes to predetermined processes of the multiple processes, and to allocate codes other than the predetermined codes to processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof;

code input means adapted to cause a user to input a code for performing a respective one of the processes;

control means adapted to control said processing means so as to perform the process corresponding to the code input by said code input means; and

output means adapted to output printing data, which indicates the codes allocated by said allocation means, to a printer,

wherein in accordance with a print instruction being provided by a user, or in accordance with reaching of a time set in advance, said allocation means allocates codes other than the predetermined codes to the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof, and said output means outputs the printing data, which indicates the codes allocated by said allocation means, to the printer.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined processes of the multiple processes include at least one of a sending and receiving process of electronic mail data and a World Wide Web browsing process.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising receiving means adapted to receive a television signal, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of each of a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising searching means for searching a program on a plurality of programs transmitted on the television signal, in accordance with a predetermined search condition, wherein the processes of the multiple processes other than the predetermined processes thereof include a recording scheduling process of the program searched by said searching means.