Patent ID: 7719699

Claim:
An image sensing apparatus comprising an image sensing unit which converts an optical image of an object into an electric image signal, and an interface capable of communicating with an external printing apparatus, wherein the image sensing apparatus comprises: a communication control unit which starts communication between the image sensing apparatus and the external printing apparatus, with the external printing apparatus being a host and the image sensing apparatus being a slave, to transfer the image signal to the external printing apparatus via the interface; a detection unit which automatically detects, upon a connection between the image sensing apparatus and the external printing apparatus is being established, whether control relation between the image sensing apparatus and the external printing apparatus is a first type of direct printing in which the external printing apparatus and the image sensing apparatus are connected in Mass Storage Class mode of USB and a memory in the image sensing apparatus can be accessed directly from the external printing apparatus, or a second type of direct printing in which processing in the external printing apparatus can be controlled by a controller of the image sensing apparatus, by communication with the external printing apparatus via the interface; a display unit; and a processing controller which automatically changes between a processing procedure in which the image sensing apparatus is restricted to transmission of image data stored in a memory of the image sensing apparatus to the external printing apparatus in response to an instruction from the external printing apparatus in a case where the first type of direct printing is detected, and a processing procedure in which the image sensing apparatus transmits image data to be printed and a print command to the external printing apparatus in a case where the second type of direct printing is detected, wherein the processing controller (i) displays a message to operate the external printing apparatus and turns off the display unit in response to the detection of the first type of direct printing, and (ii) displays a message to perform print operation on the display unit in response to the detection of the second type of direct printing.