IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PROVISIONAL RESERVATION

• US 20090080022A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tsutsumi, Kensuke
• Granted Patent: US 8,355,151 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1204 resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1212 achieving reduced delay between job submission and print start
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1263 based on job priority, e.g. re-arranging the order of jobs, e.g. the printing sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A print-request controlling unit requests a print-reservation executing unit to execute provisional reservation of a print job and requests a server communicatable over a network to print a document if the result of the provisional reservation in response to the request received from the print-reservation executing unit indicates that the print job has been provisionally reserved. The print-reservation executing unit receives the request to execute the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit, provisionally reserves the print job in response to the received request to execute the provisional reservation, and notifies the print-request controlling unit of the result of the provisional reservation indicating that the print job has been provisionally reserved when the print job is provisionally reserved.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a print-request controlling unit configured to request a server with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network to print a document stored in an apparatus with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network; and

a print-reservation executing unit configured to execute reservation of a print job in response to a request to execute the reservation of the print job transmitted from the server,

wherein the print-request controlling unit requests the print-reservation executing unit to execute provisional reservation of a print job and requests the server to print the document if the result of the provisional reservation in response to the request received from the print-reservation executing unit indicates that the print job has been provisionally reserved, and

wherein the print-reservation executing unit receives the request to execute the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit, provisionally reserves the print job in response to the received request to execute the provisional reservation, and notifies the print-request controlling unit of the result of the provisional reservation indicating that the print job has been provisionally reserved when the print job is provisionally reserved.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if the print job for which the request to execute the reservation is submitted from the server is not the provisionally-reserved print job, the print-reservation executing unit executes the reservation of the print job.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, if the print job for which the request to execute the reservation is submitted from the server is the provisionally-reserved print job, the print-reservation executing unit updates the state of the print job from the provisional reservation to the reservation.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication unit configured to authenticate a user,

wherein the print-request controlling unit requests the print-reservation executing unit to execute the provisional reservation of the print job when the print-request controlling unit receives a login notification indicating that the user has logged in from the authentication unit.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication unit configured to authenticate a user,

wherein the print-request controlling unit requests the print-reservation executing unit to delete the provisional reservation of the print job when the print-request controlling unit receives a logout notification indicating that the user has logged out from the authentication unit, and

wherein the print-reservation executing unit receives the request to delete the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit and deletes the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the received request to delete the provisional reservation.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print-reservation executing unit compares a number of provisional reservations that have been executed with an allowable number of provisional reservations that is set for the image processing apparatus to execute the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the request to execute the provisional reservation if the number of provisional reservations is smaller than the allowable number of provisional reservations.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the print-reservation executing unit compares a number of provisional reservations that have been executed by a login user with an allowable number of provisional reservations per login user to execute the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the request to execute the provisional reservation if the number of provisional reservations is smaller than the allowable number of provisional reservations per login user.

8. A method for controlling provisional reservation of a print job in an image processing apparatus including a print-request controlling unit and a print-reservation executing unit, the method comprising:

requesting a server with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network to print a document stored in an apparatus with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network by the print-request controlling unit; and

executing reservation of a print job in response to a request to execute the reservation of the print job transmitted from the server by the print-reservation executing unit,

wherein the requesting requests the print-reservation executing unit to execute provisional reservation of a print job and requests the server to print the document if the result of the provisional reservation in response to the request received from the print-reservation executing unit indicates that the print job has been provisionally reserved, and

wherein the executing receives the request to execute the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit, provisionally reserves the print job in response to the received request to execute the provisional reservation, and notifies the print-request controlling unit of the result of the provisional reservation indicating that the print job has been provisionally reserved when the print job is provisionally reserved.

9. The method according to claim 8,

wherein, if the print job for which the request to execute the reservation is submitted from the server is not the provisionally-reserved print job, the print-reservation executing unit executes the reservation of the print job.

10. The method according to claim 8,

wherein, if the print job for which the request to execute the reservation is submitted from the server is the provisionally-reserved print job, the executing updates the state of the print job from the provisional reservation to the reservation.

11. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the requesting requests the print-reservation executing unit to execute the provisional reservation of the print job when a login notification indicating that a user has logged in is received from an authentication unit authenticating the user.

12. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the requesting requests the print-reservation executing unit to delete the provisional reservation of the print job when a logout notification indicating that a user has logged out is received from an authentication unit authenticating the user, and

wherein the executing receives the request to delete the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit and deletes the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the received request to delete the provisional reservation.

13. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the executing compares a number of provisional reservations that have been executed with an allowable number of provisional reservations that is set for the image processing apparatus to execute the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the request to execute the provisional reservation if the number of provisional reservations is smaller than the allowable number of provisional reservations.

14. The method according to claim 8,

wherein the executing compares a number of provisional reservations that have been executed by a login user with an allowable number of provisional reservations per login user to execute the provisional reservation of the print job in response to the request to execute the provisional reservation if the number of provisional reservations is smaller than the allowable number of provisional reservations per login user.

15. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-executable instructions for executing a method for controlling provisional reservation of a print job in an image processing apparatus including a print-request controlling unit and a print-reservation executing unit, the method comprising:

requesting a server with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network to print a document stored in an apparatus with which the image processing apparatus can communicate over a network by the print-request controlling unit; and

executing reservation of a print job in response to a request to execute the reservation of the print job transmitted from the server by the print-reservation executing unit,

wherein the requesting requests the print-reservation executing unit to execute provisional reservation of a print job and requests the server to print the document if the result of the provisional reservation in response to the request received from the print-reservation executing unit indicates that the print job has been provisionally reserved, and

wherein the executing receives the request to execute the provisional reservation from the print-request controlling unit, provisionally reserves the print job in response to the received request to execute the provisional reservation, and notifies the print-request controlling unit of the result of the provisional reservation indicating that the print job has been provisionally reserved when the print job is provisionally reserved.