Patent Publication Number: US-2010118335-A1

Title: Image display apparatus and method for controlling the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and a method for controlling the image display apparatus, a program, and a storage medium, and particularly to a technique suitably used for printing displayed content. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Conventionally, in printing a content displayed on a display unit, a cable or wireless connection equipment is used to connect the printer to a display unit or an information processing apparatus to which the display unit is connected. Then, after the content is selected, print is selected from the menu, a printer is selected and then, printing starts. That is, plural operations are required. To address this, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-283067 discusses a printer-integrated electronic information apparatus that enables easy connection of the printer. 
     However, in the electronic information apparatus discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-283067, printer connection is facilitated, but plural operations are still required after selection of the content. In this way, in the conventional art, the operations for printing the content displayed on the display unit are complicated and such operations become troublesome for printing many contents. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an image display apparatus capable of eliminating or reducing complicated operations in printing a content displayed on a display unit. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, an image display apparatus includes a control unit configured to display a content on a display unit, a detection unit configured to detect a printing apparatus located at a predetermined distance or less from the display unit, a calculation unit configured to calculate a position on the display unit of the printing apparatus detected by the detection unit, and a transmission unit configured to transmit, to the printing apparatus, data of a content based on the position calculated by the calculation unit among contents displayed on the display unit. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, selection of the content displayed on the display unit can be facilitated and transmission of print data can be also facilitated thereby to eliminate or reduce complicated operations. 
     Further features and aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display apparatus according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for determining print data among contents in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a screen image displayed on a display unit when a printer is in close vicinity in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Various exemplary embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display apparatus  100  according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , a printer  101  as a printing apparatus is a printer, which can be brought close to a display unit  109  by a user. Hence, the printer  101  is preferably a portable, compact printer in the present exemplary embodiment. 
     An approach/contact detection unit  102  detects approach of the printer  101  when it is close to the display unit  109 . Once the approach/contact detection unit  102  detects approach of the printer  101 , it establishes connection with the printer  101  via a communication unit  108 . At this time, connection with the printer  101  is performed with use of publicly known wireless communication technique. 
     When a position detection unit  103  receives a notice of approach of the printer  101  from the approach/contact detection unit  102 , it detects an approach/contact position of the printer  101  located in the vicinity of the display unit  109 . The position detection unit  103  is connected to a display control unit  104  and sends the display control unit  104  data for displaying coordinate information on a screen of the display unit  109 . 
     The display control unit  104  displays a content on the display unit  109 . The display control unit  104  is connected to the position detection unit  103  and displays the coordinate information of the printer  101  on the screen of the display unit  109 . 
     A pointer setting unit  105  generates a pointer for selecting print data at a position where the printer  101  is in the closest vicinity of the display unit  109  so that a content can be selected. A print data setting unit  106  sets as the print data a content indicated by the pointer generated by the pointer setting unit  105 . When the printer  101  goes away beyond a predetermined distance, setting is cancelled by switching. Then, when the printer  101  is brought into contact with the display unit  109  by a user, a content of a pointer at a position where the printer  101  is in contact with the display unit  109  is determined as the print data. 
     When the approach/contact detection unit  102  detects that the printer  101  is in contact with the display unit  109 , a data transmission control unit  107  sends the print data set by the print data setting unit  106  to the printer  101  via the communication unit  108 . The communication unit  108  is configured to establish wireless communication with the printer  101 . 
     Next description is made about the operation of the present exemplary embodiment with reference to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a screen image displayed on the display unit  109  when the printer  302  is in the vicinity. In  FIG. 3 , a display screen  301  is displayed on the display unit  109 , and a content  303  is on the display screen  301 . 
     When the printer  302  approaches the display screen  301  and a distance between the printer  302  and the display screen  301  is N or less, the pointer setting unit  105  starts. The distance is the shortest length of a line connecting the communication unit of the printer  302  and the display screen  301 . The distance between the printer  302  and the display screen  301  is detected by the approach/contact detection unit  102 . Besides, a contact point of the display screen  301  with the line connecting from the display screen  301  to the communication unit of the printer  302  is an approach position of the printer  302 . 
     When the distance from the display screen  301  is N or less, the pointer setting unit  105  sets the pointer  304  concentrically about the approach position of the printer  302  and displays it on the display screen  301  of the display unit  109 . In the present exemplary embodiment, the size of the concentric circle is fixed and its diameter is of 32 pixels. 
     Hereinafter, the processing procedure according to the present exemplary embodiment is described with reference to the processing flow in  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure for determining the print data among contents in the present exemplary embodiment. First, in step S 201  of  FIG. 2 , the approach/contact detection unit  102  always monitors approach of the printer  101  to the display unit  109  and it is determined whether it has detected approach of the printer  101 . When determination results in that it does not detect approach of the printer  101 , it comes into the standby state and waits for next detection. When it has detected the approach, the procedure proceeds to the next step S 202 . 
     Next in step S 202 , the position detection unit  103  detects a distance between the printer  101  and the display unit  109 , and determines whether the distance is a predetermined distance or less (distance N in the present exemplary embodiment). When determination results in that the distance exceeds N, detection of the distance is repeated at fixed intervals and it comes into the standby state. Here, in the exemplary embodiment, an N value is fixed at 15 cm, for example. Besides, the time interval for re-detecting of the distance from the printer  101  is 0.5 seconds. 
     On the other hand, when the distance is N or less in step S 202 , then, in step S 203 , the position detection unit  103  detects an approach position of the printer  101 . Then, instep S 204 , the pointer setting unit  105  sets a concentric pointer about the approach position. At this time, if there is no content at the position indicated by the pointer on the display screen on the display unit  109 , position detection is repeated at fixed intervals. On the other hand, when there is a content at the position indicated by the pointer, the print data setting unit  106  sets the content indicated by the pointer as the print data. 
     Next, in step S 205 , it is determined whether the approach/contact detection unit  102  has detected the printer  101  is in contact. When this determination results in that the contact is not detected, it comes into the standby state. When contact is further detected, the procedure proceeds to step S 206 . Then, in step S 206 , the data transmission control unit  107  receives from the print data setting unit  106  content information set as the print data and transmits the content data to the printer  101  via the communication unit  108 . Then, the processing ends. 
     As described in detail above, the image display apparatus  100  according to the present exemplary embodiment, content selection and printing can be made by approaching or contact of the printer. With this configuration, the content can be printed without complicated operations. The exemplary embodiment has been described by way of the example where the operation of content selection and print data transmission is performed by approach and contact of the printer main body. However, the operation may be performed by approach and contact of a separatable part of the printer without losing any effect of the present invention. 
     The first exemplary embodiment has been described by way of an example where the content indicated by the pointer is set as the print data and the print data is sent to the printer in response to contact of the printer . In a second embodiment of the present invention, a print range of the content displayed on the display unit  109  is set. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an image display apparatus  400  according to the second exemplary embodiment. Regarding overlapping components between  FIGS. 1 and 4 , they are similar to those in the first exemplary embodiment, description thereof will not be repeated. When the position of the printer  101  is detected by a position detection unit  103 , a print range setting unit  401  sets a content of a predetermined area at the position where the printer  101  is in the closest vicinity of the display unit  109 . The print data setting unit  106  then sets as a printing area the area to be printed. The range of the area set can be determined via an operating unit (not shown) by a user. 
     In response to contact of the printer  101  with the display unit  109 , an image processing unit  402  generates print data at the printing area set by the print data setting unit  106 , and the data transmission control unit  107  transmits the generated print data to the printer  101 . 
     As described above, according to the present exemplary embodiment, setting of the printing area of the content and printing can be made by approach and contact of the printer. With this configuration, the content printing can be made without the complicated operations. 
     The present invention may be applied to a part of a system including plural apparatuses or to apart of an apparatus of one equipment. The present invention is not limited to the apparatus and method for embodying the above exemplary embodiments. For example, the present invention includes a unit for supplying a program code of software for embodying the above exemplary embodiment to a computer (central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessing unit (MPU)) in the above apparatus. 
     It also includes a case where the above-described exemplary embodiments are embodied by a computer of the apparatus that makes various devices operate according to the program code. 
     In this case, the program code of the software itself executes the functions of the above-described exemplary embodiments. In other words, the program code itself, and the unit for supplying the program code to a computer, or specifically, a computer-readable storage medium storing the program code, fall within the scope of the present invention. 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications, equivalent structures, and functions. 
     This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-287075 filed Nov. 7, 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.