Document sharing service for network printing

• US 20040196491A1
• Filed: 04/01/2003
• Published: 10/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Uchino, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,359,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1222 Increasing security of the print job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1238 Secure printing, e.g. user identification, user rights for device usage, unallowed content, blanking portions or fields of a page, releasing held jobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

An internet accessible server permits access management to remote printing devices by remote users. Only users having printing access to a target remote printing device may submit a print job for printing on the target remote printing device. Users having printing access permission are further divided into owner status and user status. Owner status user of a remote printing device may grant or revoke the printing permission of non-owner status users. At least one owner status user is designated a super-owner, and can grant and revoke the owner status of other users. The super-owner user may relinquish its super-owner status to any other user. After submitting a print job for a target printing device, the print job is stored in a storage space on the Internet and is transferred to the target printing device only when the target printing device itself downloads the print job using standard internet protocols similar to those used in the downloading of a web page.

Claims

1. An internet printing system comprising:

a network server accessible over the internet and having;

a printer-record of registered printing devices remote from said network server;

an ID-record of identification, ID, codes, each ID code being associated with at least one of said registered printing devices within said printer-record;

a data storage unit for storing a plurality of print-job files;

a print-job record of said stored print-job files, each print-job record being correlated to at least one of said registered printing devices;

a first remote computing device for accessing said network server over the internet, and submitting an access code to said network server;

wherein if said access code identifies a target ID code within said ID-record, then said network server provides said first remote computing device with a print-file list of stored print-job files from among said print-job record that are correlated to each registered printing device associated with said target ID;

said first remote computing device being further effective for selecting, from said print-file list, at least one stored print-job file as a target print-job file and for downloading said target print job file over the internet.

2. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of said registered printing devices are arranged into printer-groups, each printer-group being associated with a corresponding one of said ID codes, and each registered printing device within a particular printer-group being thereby associated with the particular printer-group'"'"'s corresponding ID code;

wherein pre-specified print-job files are correlated to respective printer-groups.

3. The internet printing system of claim 2, wherein:

said access code correlates to an ID code associated with a target printer-group; and

said print-job list includes print-job files associated with said target printer-group.

4. The internet printing system of claim 2, wherein:

each print-job file that is correlated to a specific printer-group is also correlated to each registered printing device within said specific printer-group;

said access code correlates to an ID code associated with a target registered printing device; and

said print-file list includes print-jobs files correlated to said target registered printing device and includes print-job files correlated to all the printer-groups to which said target registered printing device belongs.

5. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein each ID code is associated with a single one of said registered printing devices and said print-file list includes only print-jobs correlated to the single registered printing device associated with said target ID code.

6. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein:

said print-job files are indirectly correlated to respective registered printing devices by being primarily associated to the same ID code as the respective registered printing devices; and

said print-file list includes print-file files associated with the ID code identified by said access code.

7. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein said print-job files within said data storage unit are in the form of one of a journal file and a printer-driver-processed file, where said journal file includes device driver requests generic to a plurality of printing devices, and said printer-driver-processed file includes drive data specific to a predefined printing device model.

8. The internet printing system of claim 7, wherein if said target print-job file is in the form of a printer-driver-processed file, said first computing device identifies the printing device model specific to the printer-driver-processed file, and downloads said target print-job file only if said first remote computing device determines that it is capable of printing said target print-job file.

9. The internet printing system of claim 8, wherein said first computing device is one of said registered printing devices.

10. The internet printing system of claim 8, wherein said first computing device is a general purpose computer having direct access to a local printing device that is one of said registered printing devices, and conveys said target print-job to said local printer.

11. The internet printing system of claim 7, wherein if said target print-job file is in the form of a journal file, said first remote computing device identifies at least one printing device model generic to said journal file, and said network server processes said journal file using the printer driver software for the identified printing device model to produce a post-printer-driver file for download by said first computing device.

12. The internet printing system of claim 11, wherein said first remote computing device is one of said registered printing devices, and identifies itself as said identified printing device model.

13. The internet printing system of claim 12, wherein said first remote printing device has direct access to the internet.

14. The internet printing system of claim 11, wherein said first remote computing device has direct access to at least one local printer, and identifies said at least one local printer as said identified printing device model.

15. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein said first computing device is asked to accept a periodic subscription fee for continued access to said network server.

16. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein said network server requests that said second remote computing device accept a printing-fee for each print-job file downloaded.

17. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein said network server marks said target print-job file as being downloaded following the downloading of said target print-job file by said first remote computing device.

18. The internet printing system of claim 1 further having:

a second remote computing device for accessing said network server over the internet, and submitting an identification code sequence to said network server;

said network server responding to the submission of said identification code sequence correlating with a predefined ID within said ID-record by providing said second remote computing device with a selection list of registered printing devices from among said printer-record that are associated with said predefined ID;

said second remote computing device being further effective for selecting at least one registered printing device from within said selection list and for uploading a new print-job file to said network server for storage within said data storage unit, whereupon said network servers associates said new print job file with each selected printing device.

19. The internet printing system of claim 18 wherein said network server maintains the printer driver software for said at least one target printing device, and said uploaded print-job file is in the form of a journal file having device driver requests generic to said target printing device, and said network server uses said printer driver software to convert said journal file into a printer-driver-processed file specific to said target printing device.

20. The internet printing system of claim 18 wherein:

at least a group of said registered printing devices are arranged into printer-groups individually associated with selected ones of said ID codes; and

said selection list includes printer-groups associated with said identification code sequence, and wherein when a target printer-group within said selection list is selected for associating with said new print-job file, the registered printing devices included within said target printer-group are automatically associated with said new print-job file.

21. The internet printing system of claim 20 wherein each registered remote printing device may be associated with more than one of said printer-groups.

22. The internet printing system of claim 18 wherein:

at least some of said registered printing devices are arranged into printer-groups individually associated with selected ones of said ID codes;

said submitted identification code sequence identifies a targeted one of said printer-groups; and

said printer-list includes only printers associated with said targeted printer-group.

23. The internet printing system of claim 22 wherein:

said second remote computing device is further permitted to choose whether to associated the uploaded print-job file with said targeted printer-group or with at least one individual remote printing device within said targeted printer-group; and

if said second computing device chooses to associate the uploaded print-job file with said targeted printer-group, then said network server automatically associates the uploaded print-job file with all registered printing devices within said targeted printer-group, and if said computing device chooses to associate the uploaded print-job file with an individually selected remote printing device within said targeted printer-group, then said network server associates the uploaded print-job file with only the individually selected remote printing device.

24. The internet printing system of claim 22 wherein each registered remote printing device may be associated with more than one of said printer-groups.

25. The internet printing system of claim 18 wherein:

said network server maintains a user-record of registered users, and

said ID codes are passwords for identifying each registered user.

26. The internet printing system of claim 25 wherein:

each registered user has printing permission access to each registered printing device associated with the registered user'"'"'s ID code;

said network server maintains one of an owner status and a user status association between each registered user and the registered printing devices to which each registered user has printing permission access;

registered users having owner status to a specific printing device may grant, or remove, printing permission access to other users not having owner status to said specific printing device; and

registered users having user status to said specific printing device may not alter the printing access permission of other registered users to said specific printing device.

27. The internet printing system of claim 26 wherein:

at least one registered user having owner status to said specific printing device is further categorized as having super-owner status to said specific printing device;

the registered user having super-owner status may assign said identified registered user one of said owner status and user status, the registered user having super-owner status being further permitted to remove owner status printing permission and user status printing permission from all other registered users not having said super-owner status associated with said specific printing device; and

any registered user that has owner status but does not have said super-owner status may assign said identified registered user only said user status.

28. The internet printing system of claim 26 wherein:

said second remote computing device is further effective for submitting to said network server user-registration information for adding a new registered user to said user-record, said user-registration information including at least one of said new user'"'"'s name, telephone number, and mailing address;

said

network server further permitting said second remote computing device to submit printer-registration information for a new printing device to be added to said printer-record after said new user is registered, wherein said new printing device is not locally accessible by said network server and said printer-registration information includes descriptive data including at least one of said new printing device'"'"'s model name, printing capabilities, physical location address, and printer driver software.

29. The internet printing system of claim 28 wherein upon submission of said printer-registration information for said new printing device, said network server grants said new user owner status to said submitted new printing device.

30. The internet printing system of claim 1, wherein said first remote computing device downloads said print job using HTTP internet protocol communication.