Image processing apparatus, image processing method and control program

• US 20030135571A1
• Filed: 12/03/2002
• Published: 07/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Eiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,209,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes

Abstract

Disclosed herein as a preferred embodiment is an image forming apparatus for printing data requested to be printed from a client apparatus via a network. The image forming apparatus comprising determination means for determining whether or not an instruction string is described in the body portion of e-mail sent from the client apparatus and controlling means for, in the case where the determination means determines that the instruction string is described, printing the data contained in an attached file according to the instruction string. And a control program, a method and a system for controlling these are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus for printing data requested to be printed from a client apparatus via a network, including:

determination means for determining whether or not an instruction string is described in the body portion of e-mail sent from said client apparatus; and

controlling means for, in the case where said determination means determines that said instruction string is described, printing the data contained in an attached file according to the instruction string.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination means determines whether or not the instruction string indicating a printing instruction and a procedure on occurrence of an abnormality in said image forming apparatus is described in said body portion.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming apparatus has notifying means for, in the case where said determination means determines that the instruction string indicating a procedure on occurrence of an abnormality in said image forming apparatus is described in said body portion and the abnormality has occurred in said image forming apparatus, notifying the client apparatus having sent said e-mail that the abnormality has occurred in said image forming apparatus.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said notifying means notifies that said abnormality has occurred by e-mail.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said instruction string includes one or a plurality of a command for providing an instruction to print the data contained in said attached file, a command for providing an instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby in the case where said image forming apparatus requested to print by said client apparatus by said e-mail is incapable of printing, a command for providing an, instruction to send the e-mail to the image forming apparatus requested to print, and a command for providing an instruction to store the data in a storage medium.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where said image forming apparatus is offline.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where a paper jam has occurred to said image forming apparatus.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command for providing the instruction to print is the command using one or both of an option of specifying a file name of said attached file and an option of providing the instruction to print all the data contained in said attached file.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command for providing the instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby is the command using an option of specifying a transfer destination of said attached file.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using an option of specifying a destination of the e-mail.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using one or a plurality of an option of having a message notifying that printing has normally ended sent by the e-mail, an option of having a message notifying that an error has occurred at the beginning stage of or during the printing sent by the e-mail, and an option of having a character string specified by an argument sent by the e-mail.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said command for providing the instruction to store the data in a storage medium is the command using one or more of an option of specifying a file name to be stored in the storage medium, an option of specifying an area ID for storing a file, and an option of specifying a password for reading the stored file.

13. An image forming method for performing an image forming process by making a printing request to an image forming apparatus from a client apparatus via a network, said image forming apparatus having:

determination step of determining whether or not an instruction string is described in e-mail sent from said client apparatus; and

controlling step of, in the case where said determination means determines that said instruction string is described, printing the data contained in an attached file according to the instruction string.

14. The image forming method according to claim 13, wherein said determination step determines whether or not the instruction string indicating a printing instruction and a procedure on occurrence of an abnormality in said image forming apparatus is described in the body portion.

15. The image forming method according to claim 13, wherein said image forming apparatus has a notifying step of, in the case where said determination step determines that the instruction string indicating a procedure on occurrence of an abnormality in the image forming apparatus is described in said body portion and the abnormality has occurred in said image forming apparatus, notifying the client apparatus having sent said e-mail that the abnormality has occurred in the image forming apparatus.

16. The image forming method according to claim 15, wherein said notifying step notifies by the e-mail that said abnormality has occurred.

17. The image forming method according to claim 13, wherein, said instruction string includes one or a plurality of a command for providing an instruction to print the data contained in said attached file, a command for providing an instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby in the case where said image forming apparatus requested to print by said client apparatus by said e-mail is incapable of printing, a command for providing an instruction to send the e-mail to the image forming apparatus requested to print, and a command for providing an instruction to store the data in a storage medium.

18. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where said image forming apparatus is offline.

19. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where a paper jam has occurred to said image forming apparatus.

20. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said command for providing the instruction to print is the command using one or both of an option of specifying a file name of said attached file and an option of providing the instruction to print all the data contained in said attached file.

21. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said command for providing the instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby is the command using an option of specifying a transfer destination of the attached file.

22. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using an option of specifying a destination of the e-mail.

23. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using one or a plurality of an option of having a message notifying that printing has normally ended sent by the e-mail, an option of having a message notifying that an error has occurred at the beginning stage of or during the printing sent by the e-mail, and an option of having a character string specified by an argument sent by the e-mail.

24. The image forming method according to claim 17, wherein said command for providing the instruction to store the data in a storage medium is the command using one or a plurality of an option of specifying a file name to be stored in the storage medium, an option of specifying an area ID for storing a file, and an option of specifying a password for reading the stored file.

25. A client apparatus for sending data to an image forming apparatus on a network and making a printing request, having:

sending means for sending data to be printed to said image forming apparatus as an attached file to e-mail; and

describing means for describing in the body portion of said e-mail an instruction string to be used when printing the data in said attached file.

26. The client apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said describing means describes the instruction string indicating a procedure on occurrence of an abnormality in said image forming apparatus.

27. The client apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said describing means describes the instruction string for providing an instruction, in the case where an abnormality occurs in said image forming apparatus, to notify the client apparatus that the abnormality has occurred in said image forming apparatus.

28. The client apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said instruction string includes the instruction string for providing the instruction, in the case where an abnormality occurs in said image forming apparatus, to notify by the e-mail that said abnormality has occurred.

29. The client apparatus according to claim 25, wherein, said instruction string includes one or a plurality of a command for providing an instruction to print the data contained in said attached file, a command for providing an instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby in the case where said image forming apparatus requested to print by said client apparatus by said e-mail is incapable of printing, a command for providing an instruction to send the e-mail to the image forming apparatus requested to print, and a command for providing an instruction to store the data in a storage medium.

30. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where said image forming apparatus is offline.

31. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the case where said image forming apparatus is incapable of printing is the case where a paper jam has occurred to said image forming apparatus.

32. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said command for providing the instruction to print is the command using one or both of an option of specifying a file name of said attached file and an option of providing the instruction to print all the data contained in said attached file.

33. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said command for providing the instruction to transfer the attached file to another image forming apparatus and have it printed thereby is the command using an option of specifying a transfer destination of the attached file.

34. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using an option of specifying a destination of the e-mail.

35. The client apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said command for providing the instruction to send the e-mail is the command using one or a plurality of an option of having a message notifying that printing has normally ended sent by the e-mail, an option of having a message notifying that an error has occurred at the beginning stage of or during the printing sent by the e-mail, and an option of having a character string specified by an argument sent by the e-mail.

36. The client apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said command for providing the instruction to store the data in a storage medium is the command using one or a plurality of an option of specifying a file name to be stored in the storage medium, an option of specifying an area ID for storing a file, and an option of specifying a password for reading the stored file.

37. A control program to be executed by an image forming apparatus for printing data requested to be printed from a client apparatus via a network, characterized by having the contents of, as to e-mail sent from said client apparatus, identifying a header portion, the body portion and an attached file, determining whether or not an instruction string is described in said body portion identified, and in the case where it is determined that said instruction string is described, printing the data contained in said attached file according to the instruction string.

38. A control program to be executed by a client apparatus for sending data to an image forming apparatus on a network to have it printed, characterized by having the contents of sending the data to be printed to said image forming apparatus as an attached file to e-mail and also describing an instruction string to be used when printing the data in said attached file in the body portion of said e-mail.

39. An image forming apparatus for printing data requested to be printed from a client apparatus via a network, including:

a determination unit, adapted for determining whether or not an instruction string is described in the body portion of e-mail sent from said client apparatus; and

a controlling unit, adapted for, in the case where said determination unit determines that said instruction string is described, printing the data contained in an attached file according to the instruction string.

40. A client apparatus for sending data to an image forming apparatus on a network and making a printing request, having:

a sending unit, adapted for sending data to be printed to said image forming apparatus as an attached file to e-mail; and

a describing unit, adapted for describing in the body portion of said e-mail an instruction string to be used when printing the data in said attached file.