PRINT SYSTEM, PRINT SERVER, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND PROGRAM

• US 20100171973A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kimura, Mitsuo
• Granted Patent: US 8,576,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• 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 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1228 Printing driverless or using generic drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1272 Digital storefront, e.g. e-ordering, web2print, submitting a job from a remote submission screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1287 via internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1293 Printer information exchange with computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/4095 Secure printing computer driven secure printing G06F3/1238

Abstract

A client terminal transmits a request to a printing apparatus for a registration web page for registering, in a print server, a printing apparatus used in a print service provided by the print server. The printing apparatus collects configuration information of the printing apparatus in response to reception of the request, and creates link information which contains the collected configuration information and is used to access the print server. The printing apparatus then generates a registration web page containing the created link information, and transmits it to the client terminal. The print server receives the configuration information of the printing apparatus transmitted from the client terminal via the registration web page transmitted to the client terminal. The print server creates printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information with user information of the user of the client terminal, and manages it in a storage medium.

Claims

1. A print system which is configured by connecting a client terminal, a print server, and a printing apparatus to a network and manages printing from the client terminal,

the client terminal comprising:

a request transmission unit adapted to transmit a request to the printing apparatus for a registration web page for registering, in the print server, a printing apparatus used in a print service provided by the print server,

the printing apparatus comprising;

a collection unit adapted to collect configuration information of the printing apparatus in response to reception of the request from the client terminal;

a creation unit adapted to create link information which contains the configuration information collected by the collection unit and is used to access the print server; and

a transmission unit adapted to generate the registration web page containing the link information created by the creation unit and transmit the registration web page to the client terminal, and

the print server comprising;

a reception unit adapted to receive the configuration information of the printing apparatus transmitted from the client terminal via the registration web page transmitted to the client terminal; and

a printing apparatus management unit adapted to create printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information received by the reception unit with user information of a user of the client terminal, and manage the printing apparatus information in a storage medium.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the print server further comprises

a user information management unit adapted to manage user information in a storage medium, and

an authentication unit adapted to perform user authentication of the user of the client terminal based on the user information, and

when the user authentication by the authentication unit is successful, the printing apparatus management unit creates the printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information received by the reception unit with the user information of the user of the client terminal, and manages the printing apparatus information in the storage medium.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the print server further comprises a printing apparatus list creation unit adapted to create a list of printing apparatuses the use of which is permitted to the user, based on the printing apparatus information managed by the printing apparatus management unit.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the print server further comprises a generation unit adapted to generate a print setting web page based on the printing apparatus information managed by the printing apparatus management unit.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the print server further comprises a printing apparatus creation unit adapted to create a list of printing apparatuses capable of printing target print data, based on the printing apparatus information managed by the printing apparatus management unit.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the print server further comprises a deletion unit adapted to delete, from the printing apparatus management unit based on a request from the client terminal to cancel registration of a printing apparatus, the printing apparatus information formed from the user information of the user of the client terminal and the configuration information of the printing apparatus that is associated with the user information.

7. A print server which is connected to a client terminal and a printing apparatus via a network and manages printing from the client terminal, the print server comprising:

a reception unit adapted to receive configuration information of the printing apparatus transmitted from the client terminal via a registration web page which is transmitted from the printing apparatus to the client terminal to register, in the print server, a printing apparatus used in a print service provided by the print server;

an authentication unit adapted to authenticate a user of the client terminal; and

a printing apparatus management unit adapted to create printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information received by said reception unit with user information of a user successfully authenticated by said authentication unit, and manage the printing apparatus information in a storage medium.

8. A method of controlling a print server which is connected to a client terminal and a printing apparatus via a network and manages printing from the client terminal, the method comprising:

receiving configuration information of the printing apparatus transmitted from the client terminal via a registration web page which is transmitted from the printing apparatus to the client terminal to register, in the print server, a printing apparatus used in a print service provided by the print server;

authenticating a user of the client terminal; and

creating printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information received in the receiving step with user information of a user successfully authenticated in the authenticating step, thereby managing the printing apparatus information in a storage medium.

9. A program, which is stored in a storage medium, for causing a computer to control a print server which is connected to a client terminal and a printing apparatus via a network and manages printing from the client terminal, the program causing the computer to execute

receiving configuration information of the printing apparatus transmitted from the client terminal via a registration web page which is transmitted from the printing apparatus to the client terminal to register, in the print server, a printing apparatus used in a print service provided by the print server,

authenticating a user of the client terminal, and

creating printing apparatus information which associates the configuration information received in the receiving step with user information of a user successfully authenticated in the authenticating step, thereby managing the printing apparatus information in a storage medium.