KR101637817B1 - System and method for printing data - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a printing system and method for recognizing a print request terminal through an NFC and outputting print data received from the print request terminal using Wi-Fi. To this end, the present invention includes a printer for receiving print data from a recognized terminal through a second wireless network and outputting the received print data in a preset print format, when an arbitrary terminal is recognized and connected to the first wireless network. Therefore, the present invention recognizes the NFC-based print request terminal by touching or approaching the terminal to any printer selected by the user, and outputs the print data received via Wi-Fi from the print request terminal to improve the printing convenience of the user There are advantages to be able to.

Description

[0001] SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRINTING [0002]

The present invention relates to a printing system and method, and more particularly, to a printing system and method for recognizing a print request terminal through an NFC and outputting print data received from the print request terminal using Wi-Fi.

Generally, a printer is the most popular image forming apparatus that prints and prints print data received from a portable terminal such as a computer or a tablet PC, a smart phone, and the like onto recording paper.

Various methods of transmitting print data to a printer from a computer or a mobile terminal have already been used. Recently, various transmission methods using a wireless communication format are in use.

Such a printing system includes a printer, a mobile terminal for transmitting print data, a wireless network adapter for enabling data transmission and reception between the printer and the mobile terminal, a wireless hub for enabling a wireless network, and a LAN .

1 shows a printing system using a general wireless network. A terminal 10 for transmitting print data can be connected to a plurality of printers 20, 21, and 22 via a wireless network.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view illustrating the status of printers connected to the terminal. Information on printers connected to the terminal 10 is displayed on a display screen of the terminal 10. FIG.

That is, the printer list 40 displaying the printable printer name 41 connected through the wireless network is displayed. When the user selects any printer name among the printer names 41 and then inputs the print start 42, And print data is transmitted to the selected printer to be printed.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0565062 entitled " System and method for selecting and printing a printer via a wireless network ") discloses a method for printing a mobile terminal device A mobile communication terminal device that selects a basic printer for printing through a wireless network that allows a user to conveniently perform printing by automatically detecting a printer and setting a printer related setting for printing without operation or setting of a wireless network, A printer for printing data received via a network, a system for selecting and printing a printer through a wireless network, and a method for printing data via a wireless network.

However, this conventional printing system displays only the outputable printer, and the position of the printer is not displayed, so that it is difficult for the user to confirm the position of the printer.

Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0565062 (entitled: System and method for selecting and printing a printer through a wireless network)

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention provides a printing system and method for recognizing a print request terminal through an NFC and outputting print data received from the print request terminal using Wi-Fi.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile communication terminal, comprising: a mobile communication terminal for receiving print data from a recognized mobile communication terminal through a second wireless network and outputting the received print data in a predetermined print format; ; And a control unit for controlling the printer to print the file to be printed and displaying the file to be printed on the first wireless network when the pre-installed printing program operates. When the recognition confirmation signal of the printer is received, And a mobile communication terminal for transmitting print data to the printer via the second wireless network.

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In addition, the first wireless network according to the present invention is any one of NFC, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and WUSB.

Also, the second wireless network according to the present invention may be one of Wi-Fi, RFID, WUSB, and Bluetooth.

In addition, the printer 100 according to the present invention includes a first communication unit for transmitting / receiving identification information of a mobile communication terminal through a first wireless network; A second communication unit for transmitting and receiving print data through the second wireless network with the mobile communication terminal; Wherein when the identification information of the mobile communication terminal is received by the first communication unit, the mobile communication terminal transmits preset printer setting information using any one of the first communication unit and the second communication unit, A control unit for converting the data into output data for printing in a predetermined format and outputting the data; A printing unit for outputting printing output data output from the control unit as a photograph; A switch unit for receiving printer setting information input by a user and outputting the received printer setting information to the control unit; And a display unit for displaying an operation state of the printer.

In addition, the printer according to the present invention transmits / receives identification information including information on a mobile communication terminal and a print request signal when the mobile communication terminal is in proximity to or in contact with the mobile communication terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile communication terminal, comprising: a) a mobile communication terminal executing a pre-stored printing program and turning on a first wireless network and a second wireless network; b) loading and displaying a file to be printed by the mobile communication terminal, and detecting selection information of a file to be printed from a user; c) when the file to be printed is selected, the mobile communication terminal outputs terminal information including a telephone number and a print request signal through a first wireless network; d) receiving the identification information including the terminal information of the mobile communication terminal and the print request signal through the first wireless network; e) when the recognition information is received, the printer transmits an acknowledgment signal and printer information to the mobile communication terminal and turns on a second wireless network; f) if the confirmation signal is detected from the printer, the mobile communication terminal transmits the print data of the file to be printed to the printer via the second wireless network; And g) printing when the printer has finished receiving print data of the mobile communication terminal through the second wireless network.

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The present invention recognizes a print request terminal using an NFC by contacting or approximating a terminal to a printer selected by the user and outputs print data received via Wi-Fi from the print request terminal to improve the printing convenience of the user There is an advantage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exemplary view showing a printing system using a general wireless network. Fig.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001]
3 is a perspective view showing a printing system according to the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing the printer configuration of the printing system according to Fig.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a printer operation process of the printing method according to the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a terminal operation process of the printing method according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the printing system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Printing system)

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a printing system according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a printer configuration of the printing system according to FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the printing system according to the present invention includes a printer 100 and a mobile communication terminal 200.

The printer 100 receives print data from the recognized terminal 200 through the second wireless network and outputs the received print data in a predetermined print format when an arbitrary terminal 200 is connected to the first wireless network and is recognized A switch section 150, a display section 160, and a power source section 170. The first communication section 110, the second communication section 120, the control section 130, the printing section 140, the switch section 150, .

The printer 100 receives terminal information including a phone number of the mobile communication terminal and recognition information such as a print request signal from the mobile communication terminal 200 when the mobile communication terminal 200 approaches or contacts the mobile communication terminal 200 And transmits an acknowledgment signal to the mobile communication terminal 200.

The first communication unit 110 is configured to transmit and receive identification information of the mobile communication terminal 200 using a first wireless network, and the first wireless network may be any one of NFC, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and WUSB, Is an NFC communication means for performing NFC communication.

That is, the first communication unit 110 compares the size of the print data of the confirmation target print file including the telephone number of the mobile communication terminal, the print request signal transmitted from the mobile communication terminal, the printer information for the print request signal, And transmits / receives relatively small-sized data.

The second communication unit 120 transmits and receives print data to and from the mobile communication terminal 200 using a second wireless network. The second wireless communication unit 120 may be any one of WiFi, RFID, WUSB, and Bluetooth And is preferably a Wi-Fi communication means for performing Wi-Fi communication.

That is, the second communication unit 120 receives the print data from the mobile communication terminal 200 and transmits the reception completion signal of the print data to the mobile communication terminal 200.

The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the printer 100. When the recognition signal output from the mobile communication terminal 200 is received by the first communication unit 110, And outputs confirmation signals including printer setting information (for example, printer name, connection information for Wi-Fi connection, etc.) preset in the mobile communication terminal 200.

The confirmation signal is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 200 through the first communication unit 110. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the confirmation signal may be transmitted through the second communication unit 120. [

The control unit 130 wirelessly connects with the mobile communication terminal 200 through the second communication unit 120 when the recognition signal of the mobile communication terminal 200 is received through the first communication unit 110, Receives the print data transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 200, and converts the received print data into print output data in a predetermined format.

The controller 130 controls the printer 100 to turn on and off according to the user setting information input through the switch unit 150 and perform operations such as re-printing and paper ejection.

In addition, the controller 130 outputs a display signal to display the operation state of the printer 100.

The printing unit 140 prints the printing data output from the control unit 130 on the recording sheet (not shown) according to a predetermined printing format and outputs the printing data to the photographing unit 300.

The switch unit 150 is installed on one side of the printer 100 and receives printer setting information input by a user and outputs the received printer setting information to the control unit 130. Various switches such as a button switch and a micro switch can be used.

The display unit 160 may be an LED, a segment, an LCD, or the like, configured to display an operation state of the printer 100 on / off according to a display signal output from the controller 130.

The power supply unit 170 is configured to supply power to operate the printer 100. The power supply unit 170 includes at least one of a commercial power supply using a power cable or a detachable battery such as a primary battery or a secondary battery. And is preferably composed of a rechargeable secondary battery connected via a commercial power source.

When the preset printing program is operated, the mobile communication terminal 200 loads and displays a file to be printed. When the recognition confirmation signal of the printer 100 is received in response to the recognition information output through the first wireless network, A tablet PC or a smartphone capable of transmitting print data to the printer 100 via a second wireless network and connecting to an arbitrary server, downloading the printing program, installing the printing program, and driving the printing program, It is preferably a smartphone.

In addition, the mobile communication terminal 200 includes an NFC communication unit and a Wi-Fi communication unit so that the mobile communication terminal 200 can be interworked with the printer 100 through a wireless network using an NFC, a Wi-Fi, or the like.

The printing program is executed by the mobile communication terminal 200 to load and display a file to be printed. When a certain file to be printed is selected, the printing program is transmitted to a nearby or contacted printer 100 and is connected to the printer 100 through the second wireless network using the Wi-Fi, and the print data of the selected print file is transferred from the mobile communication terminal 200 to the printer 100 .

(Printing method)

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a printer operation process of the printing method according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a terminal operation procedure of the printing method according to the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, Explain the method.

The printer 100 initializes the printer 100 to perform a preset printing operation when power is supplied together with the ON signal of the switch unit 150, displays the operation state of the printer 100 through the display unit 160, The first communication unit 110 is turned on so that the mobile communication terminal 200 can be connected to the mobile communication terminal 200 through the first wireless network using the mobile communication terminal 200 (S100).

After performing step S100, the printer 100 determines whether identification information including the terminal information of the mobile communication terminal 200 and the print request signal is received through the first communication unit 110 (S110).

As a result of the determination in step S110, when the recognition information of the mobile communication terminal 200 is received, the printer 100 confirms receipt of the recognition information and includes printer information such as a printer name and access information for Wi-Fi connection A signal is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal 200 and the second communication unit 120 is turned on so that the mobile communication terminal 200 can access the mobile communication terminal 200 through the second wireless network using Wi-Fi at step S120.

After performing step S120, the printer 100 performs printer setting for performing a printing operation, receives print data transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 200 through the second communication unit 120, The mobile communication terminal 200 transmits a reception completion signal to the mobile communication terminal 200 (S130).

When the reception of the print data is completed in step S130, the printer 100 converts the received print data into a predetermined print format, prints the print data on the printing paper embedded in the printing unit 140, and outputs the print data to the photograph 300 (S140).

The mobile communication terminal 200 executes a printing program (printing application) stored in advance in the mobile communication terminal 200 for printing a photograph 300 using the printer 100 (S200).

If the printing program is not installed, the mobile communication terminal 200 connects to an arbitrary server that provides the printing program through a network, downloads the printing program, and installs the printing program, thereby executing the printing program.

When the printing program is executed in step S200, the NFC communication unit of the mobile communication terminal 200 and the WiFi communication unit are connected to the first wireless network using the NFC and the second wireless network using the Wi- The communication means is turned on (S210).

After performing step S210, the mobile communication terminal 200 loads and displays a file to be printed stored in the memory of the mobile communication terminal 200 through a printing program (S220).

The mobile communication terminal 200 determines whether the user selects an arbitrary image as a file to be printed out of the images of the file to be displayed displayed in step S220.

As a result of the determination in step S230, the user selects a file to be printed including an arbitrary image, and transmits the file to the printer 100 in proximity to or in contact with the mobile communication terminal 200 through the first wireless network using NFC Terminal information including the telephone number of the terminal, and print request information (S240).

If it is determined in step S250 that the confirmation signal is not received from the printer 100 in step S250, it is determined whether the confirmation signal is received from the printer 100 in step S250. The mobile communication terminal 200 performs step S240 again.

In step S250, when the confirmation signal is received from the printer 100, the mobile communication terminal 200 analyzes printer information such as a printer name and connection information for Wi-Fi connection from the received confirmation signal, And transmits the print data of the print target file selected by the user to the printer 100 through the second wireless network using the Wi-Fi based on the analyzed information (S260).

The step S260 may include receiving a reception completion signal of the print data transmitted by the printer 100. [

Accordingly, it is possible to improve the printing convenience of the user by recognizing the print request terminal using the NFC by contacting or approximating the terminal with the arbitrary printer selected by the user, and outputting the print data received via the WiFi from the print request terminal .

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It can be understood that

In the course of the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the thicknesses of the lines and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation, , Which may vary depending on the intentions or customs of the user, the operator, and the interpretation of such terms should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

100: Printer
110: first communication section
120: second communication section
130:
140:
150:
160:
170:
200: Mobile communication terminal
210: print data
300: Photos

Claims (8)

A printer 100 receiving print data from the recognized mobile communication terminal 200 through a second wireless network and outputting the received print data in a predetermined print format when the mobile communication terminal 200 is connected to the first wireless network and recognized; And
When a pre-installed printing program operates, a printing target file is loaded and displayed, and the printer 100 outputs recognition information through the first wireless network. In response to the output recognition information, And a mobile communication terminal (200) for transmitting print data to the printer (100) via a second wireless network when a signal is received.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first wireless network is one of NFC, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and WUSB.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second wireless network is one of Wi-Fi, RFID, WUSB, and Bluetooth.
The method according to claim 1,
The printer 100 includes a first communication unit 110 for transmitting / receiving identification information of the mobile communication terminal 200 through a first wireless network;
A second communication unit 120 for transmitting and receiving print data through the second wireless network with the mobile communication terminal 200;
When the identification information of the mobile communication terminal 200 is received by the first communication unit 110, the mobile communication terminal 200 transmits preset printer setting information to the mobile communication terminal 200 using either the first communication unit 120 or the second communication unit 120 A control unit 130 for converting the print data received through the second communication unit 120 into output data for printing in a predetermined format and outputting the output data;
A printing unit 140 for outputting printing output data output from the control unit 130 to the photograph 300;
A switch unit 150 receiving the printer setting information input by the user and outputting the received printer setting information to the control unit 130; And
And a display unit (160) for displaying an operation state of the printer (100).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the printer (100) transmits / receives identification information including mobile communication terminal information and a print request signal when the mobile communication terminal (200) is in proximity or contact.
a) executing the pre-stored printing program by the mobile communication terminal 200, and turning on the first wireless network and the second wireless network;
b) loading and displaying a file to be printed by the mobile communication terminal 200 and detecting selection information of a file to be printed from the user;
c) when the file to be printed is selected, the mobile communication terminal 200 outputs terminal information including a telephone number and a print request signal through a first wireless network;
d) receiving the identification information including the terminal information of the mobile communication terminal 200 and the print request signal through the first wireless network;
e) when the recognition information is received, the printer 100 transmits an acknowledgment signal and printer information to the mobile communication terminal 200 and turns on the second wireless network;
f) transmitting the print data of the file to be printed to the printer (100) through the second wireless network when the confirmation signal is detected from the printer (100); And
g) Printing when the printer (100) completes receiving print data of the mobile communication terminal (200) through the second wireless network. delete

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