Output system, device management apparatus and program, and output method

• US 20060200704A1
• Filed: 12/08/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Yusuke, Aoki, Mikio
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,611 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3284 Power saving in printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• 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 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

An output system including an output data storage section storing output data, an output data saving section saving the output data to the storage section, an authentication information acquiring section acquiring authentication information, a usability determining section determining usability of the output data depending on acquired authentication information, a power control section controlling power to the network device, an output data transmitting section sending, to the network device, usable output data, and a power-save switchover section switching between an operating status and a power-save status. The power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save cancel command for transition into the operating status after the output data is determined usable and before the transmitting section sends the output data.

Claims

1. An output system having a network device for performing an output depending upon output data, the network device being allowed to perform an outputting upon obtaining an authentication, the output system comprising:

an output data storage section that stores the output data;

an output data saving section that saves the output data to the output data storage section;

an authentication information acquiring section that acquires authentication information;

a usability determining section that determines a usability of the output data depending on authentication information acquired at the authentication information acquiring section;

a power control section for controlling a power to the network device;

an output data transmitting section that sends, to the network device, output data which the usability determining section determined usable of among the output data of the output data storage section; and

a power-save switchover section that switches over between an operating status as a power-consuming status allowing the output at the network device and a power-save status as a status lower in consuming power than the operating status;

the power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save cancel command for transitioning into the operating status after the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable and before the output data transmitting section sends the output data.

2. An output system communicating between a network device for performing an output depending upon output data and a device management apparatus for managing the network device, the network device being allowed to perform an outputting upon obtaining an authentication, the output system comprising:

an output data storage section that stores the output data;

an output data saving section that saves the output data to the output data storage section;

an authentication information acquiring section that acquires authentication information;

a usability determining section that determines a usability of the output data depending on authentication information acquired at the authentication information acquiring section; and

a power control section for controlling a power to the network device;

the device management apparatus having an output data transmitting section that sends, to the network device, output data which the usability determining section determined usable of among the output data of the output data storage section;

the network device having an output data receiving section that receives the output data, an output section that performs an output depending upon output data received at the output data receiving section, a power-save switchover section that switches over between an operating status as a power-consuming status allowing the output at the output section and a power-save status as a status to reduce consumed power further than the operating status;

the power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save cancel command for transitioning into the operating status after the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable and before the output data transmitting section sends the output data.

3. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the device management apparatus includes the output data saving section, the authentication information acquiring section, the usability determining section, and the power control section.

4. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the power control section forwards the power-save cancel command immediately after the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable.

5. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the output data saving section saves the output data and the authentication information, with correspondence, to the output data storage section, and

comprising an output data retrieval section that retrieves the output data, corresponding to authentication information acquired in the authentication information acquiring section, from the output data storage section,

the power control section forwarding the power-save cancel command when the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable and the output data retrieval section retrieved the output data.

6. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the output data saving section saves the output data and the authentication information, with correspondence, to the output data storage section, and

comprising an output data retrieval section that retrieves the output data, corresponding to authentication information acquired in the authentication information acquiring section, from the output data storage section,

the power control section forwarding the power-save cancel command when the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable and the output data retrieval section retrieved the output data unprocessed.

7. The output system according to claim 2, comprising an output-completion detecting section that detects a completion of an output by the output section,

the power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status when the output-completion detecting section detects a completion of the output.

8. The output system according to claim 7, comprising an operation-completion detecting section that detects a completion of an operation for the device management apparatus,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command when the output completion detecting section detects a completion of the output and the operation-completion detecting section detects a completion of the operation.

9. The output system according to claim 7, comprising a determinable-status detecting section that detects that the usability determining section becomes a determinable status of usability,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command when the output-completion detecting section detects a completion of the output and the determinable-status detecting section detects the determinable status.

10. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the power-save switchover section transits into a power-save status after waiting for a completion of an output by the output section when inputted with a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status in the course of outputting by the output section,

comprising an operation-completion detecting section that detects a completion of an operation for the device management apparatus,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command to the power-save switchover section when the operation-completion detecting section detects a completion of the operation.

11. The output system according to claim 2, wherein the power-save switchover section transits into a power-save status after waiting for a completion of an output by the output section when inputted with a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status in the course of outputting by the output section,

comprising a determinable-status detecting section that detects that the usability determining section becomes a determinable status of usability,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command to the power-save switchover section when the operation-completion detecting section detects a determinable status.

12. The output system according to claim 2, comprising an output-data deleting section that deletes the output data from the output-data storage section,

the power control section forwards a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status when the output-data deleting section deletes the output data.

13. The output system according to claim 12, comprising an output-data existence determining section that determines whether there is, in the output-data storage section, the output data related to the output data the output-data deleting section deleted,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command when the output-data existence determining section determines a non-existence of the output data.

14. The output system according to claim 2, comprising an output-data registration deleting section that deletes a registration of the output data from an index for managing output data of the output-data storage section,

the power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status when the output-data registration deleting section deletes a registration of the output data.

15. The output system according to claim 14, comprising an output-data registration existence determining section for determining whether there is, in the index, a registration of the output data related to a registration the output-data registration deleting section deleted,

the power control section forwarding the power-save transit command when the output-data existence determining section determines a non-existence of a registration of the output data.

16. A device management apparatus for managing a network device, the device management apparatus comprising:

an output-data saving section that saves output data to an output-data storage section;

an authentication information acquiring section that acquires authentication information;

a usability determining section that determines a usability of the output data depending upon authentication information acquired at the authentication information acquiring section;

an output-data transmitting section that sends, to the network device, output data determined usable by the usability determining section of among output data of the output-data storage section, and

a power control section for controlling a power to the network device;

the power control section sending, to the network device, a power-save cancel command for transition into an operating status as a power-consuming status allowing the network device to make an output based on the output data after the usability determining section determines the output data to be usable and before sending of the output data by the output-data transmitting section.

17. A device management apparatus according to claim 16, comprising an output-completion detecting section for detecting a completion of an output by the network device,

the power control section sends, to the network device, a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status as a status lower in consuming power than the operating status when the output-completion detecting section detects a completion of the output.

18. A device management program to be executed by a computer operating as a device management apparatus for managing a network device, the program including a program for the computer to execute comprising:

saving output data in a output-data storage section;

acquiring authentication information;

determining a usability of the output data depending upon the authentication information acquired;

sending, to the network device, output data determined usable by the usability determining section of among output data in the output-data storage section; and

controlling a power to the network device;

the power control sending, to the network device, a power-save cancel command for transition into the operating status after the output data is determined usable and before sending the output data.

19. The device management program according to claim 18, including a program whose process, to be executed by the computer, comprising detecting a completion of an output by the network device,

the power control sending, to the network device, a power-save transit command for transition into a power-save status when detecting a completion of the output.

20. An output method for a communicable connection provided between a network device that performs an output depending upon output data and a device management apparatus that manages the network device, the network device being allowed to perform an outputting upon obtaining an authentication, the output method including:

saving the output data in an output-data storage section;

acquiring authentication information;

determining a usability of the output data depending on the authentication information acquired; and

controlling a power to the network device;

wherein,

for the device management apparatus, sending to the network device includes, output data determined usable of among output data in the output-data storage section is sent to the network device, and

for the network device, receiving the output data includes, performing an output based on output data received, and switching over between an operating status as a power-consuming status allowing the output and a power-save status as a status lower in power consumption than in the operating status;

the power control forwarding a power-save cancel command for transition into the operating status after the output data is determined to be usable and before sending the output data.

21. The output method according to claim 20, including detecting a completion of the output,

the power control forwarding a power-save transition command for transition into a power-save status when a completion of the output is detected.

22. A printing system having a network printer that performs a printing based on a print job, the network printer being allowed for the printing upon acquiring an authentication, the printing system comprising:

a print data storage section that stores the print data;

a print-data saving section that saves the print data to the print-data storage section;

an authentication information acquiring section that acquires authentication information;

a usability determining section that determines a usability of the print data depending upon the authentication information acquired at the authentication information acquiring section;

a power control section that controls a power to the network printer;

a print-data transmitting section that sends, to the network printer, print data determined usable by the usability determining section of among print data in the print-data storage section; and

a power-save switchover section that switches over between an operating status as a power-consuming status allowing the printing at the network printer and a power-save status as a status lower in power consumption than in the operating status;

the power control section forwarding, to the power-save switchover section, a power-save cancel command for transition into the operating status after the usability determining section determines the print data to be usable and before the print-data transmitting section sends the print data.