Patent ID: 7099928

Claim:
A data output control device, which communicably connects to a user-owned portable terminal which is portable and sends data output requests, at least one data format converting terminal, and a plurality of output terminals situated at various locations for outputting data, via a network, so as to receive data output requests from said portable terminal, and output data relating to said data output requests to said output terminals, the at least one data format converting terminal converting the output data into at least one data format that is printable by at least one of the output terminals, the data output control device comprising: a storage device that stores output terminal position data for specifying the output terminal installation location for each output terminal; a selecting device that searches output terminal position data of said storage device based on the portable terminal position data for specifying the position of said portable terminal, and selects an output terminal that is capable of rendering a data format converted by the at least one data format converting terminal, and is considered to be closest, either distance-wise or time-wise, with the position of said portable terminal as a reference; and an output device for outputting data relating to said data output request to the output terminal selected by said selecting device, wherein said portable terminal position data is generated based on position data relating to the position of said portable terminal from base stations to which said portable terminal connects.