Print control apparatus and method

• US 20060221376A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hisashi
• Application Number:
  US11/390,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20060221376A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/608 Secure printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• 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

Abstract

A print control apparatus is provided which inhibits an output of content data if a destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

Claims

1. A print control apparatus comprising:

a request unit configured to request an output of content data; and

an inhibiting unit configured to inhibit the output of the content data if a destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

2. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inhibiting unit resets a mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

3. A print control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a downloading unit configured to download the content data from a server.

4. A print control method comprising:

detecting a request for an output of content data; and

inhibiting the output of the content data if a destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the inhibiting includes resetting the mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

6. A print control program comprising:

code configured to detect a request for an output of content data; and

code configured to inhibit the output of the content data if a destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

7. A program according to claim 6, wherein the code configured for includes code configured to reset the mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the destination of the content data is a virtual printer for converting the content data to a file.

8. A print control apparatus comprising:

a request unit configured to request an output of content data; and

an inhibiting unit configured to inhibit the output of the content data if parameters of a printer driver for a destination of the content data include a predetermined keyword.

9. The print control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the inhibiting unit resets the mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the parameters include the predetermined keyword.

10. A print control method comprising:

detecting a request for an output of content data; and

inhibiting the output of the content data if parameters of a printer driver for a destination of the content data include a predetermined keyword.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the inhibiting includes resetting the mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the parameters include the predetermined keyword.

12. A print control program comprising code which perform the steps of:

detecting a request for an output of content data; and

inhibiting the output of the content data if parameters of a printer driver for a destination of the content data include a predetermined keyword.

13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the inhibiting step includes resetting the mode that allows spooled data to be stored so that the spooled data cannot be stored, unless the parameters include the predetermined keyword.