Image forming apparatus and method thereof

• US 20110051171A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jong-Nam
• Granted Patent: US 8,638,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.14
• 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 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes an image forming unit to output print data; a DLNA stack to create a job ID of a print job requested to be executed in response to a print job execution request received from a control point (CP) connected over the DLNA network, and to create a data sink address including a fixed portion and a variable portion to receive a print data of the print job, using the created job ID; a communication interface to transmit the created job ID and the created data sink address to the CP, and to receive print data corresponding to the data sink address from the CP; and a controller to assign the job ID to the received print data and to control the image forming unit to print the print data.

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus, which is connected to a network and performing a print job, comprising:

an image forming unit to output print data;

a stack to create a job identification (ID) of a print job requested to be executed in response to a print job execution request received from a control point (CP) connected over the network, and to create a data sink address comprising a fixed portion and a variable portion to receive print data of the print job, using the created job ID;

a communication interface to transmit the created job ID and the created data sink address to the CP, and to receive the print data corresponding to the data sink address from the CP; and

a controller to assign the job ID to the received print data and to control the image forming unit to print the print data.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stack comprises an extraction unit to extract address information of the CP.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixed portion of the data sink address includes an address for the image forming apparatus, and the variable portion includes the job ID or information specific to the CP.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information specific to the CP is at least one of an IP address, a media access control (MAC) address of the CP or a combination thereof.

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

a storage unit to store the job ID of the print job and the data sink address, wherein, when the print data is received, the controller compares the job ID and the data sink address which are stored in the storage unit, and assigns a job ID to the received print data.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a print status check request for the job ID is received from the CP, the controller notifies the CP of a print status of the print job having the job ID.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a print cancel command for the job ID is received from the CP, the controller cancels printing of the print data of the print job having the job ID and notifies the CP of cancellation of the print job.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the print data output from the CP is completely printed, the controller notifies the CP of completion of printing.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a user interface to display the print status.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface encodes the created job ID and the created data sink address using a preset password, and transmits the encoded job ID and encoded data sink address.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stack comprises:

a job ID creator to create a unique job ID for the print job; and

an address creator to create a unique variable portion of the data sink address according to the print job.

25. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network is a digital living network alliance (DLNA) network.

27. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stack is a digital living network alliance (DLNA) stack.

12. An image forming method of an image forming apparatus, which is connected to a network and performing a print job, the image forming method comprising:

receiving a print job execution request from a control point (CP) connected over the network;

creating a job identification (ID) of a print job in response to the received print job execution request;

creating a data sink address comprising a fixed portion and a variable portion, using the created job ID;

transmitting the created job ID and the created data sink address to the CP;

when print data corresponding to the data sink address is received from the CP, assigning the job ID to the received print data; and

printing the print data.

13. The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising:

extracting address information of the CP.

14. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the creating the data sink address comprises creating the fixed portion including a fixed address for the image forming apparatus, and the variable portion including the job ID and information specific to the CP.

15. The image forming method according to claim 14, wherein the unique information of the CP is at least one of an IP address, a media access control (MAC) address of the CP or a combination thereof.

16. The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing the job ID and the data sink address, wherein the assigning of the job ID comprises, when the print data is received, comparing the stored job ID and the stored data sink address and assigning the job ID to the received print data.

17. The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising:

when a print status check request for the job ID is received from the CP, notifying the CP of a print status of the print job having the job ID.

18. The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising:

when a print cancel command for the job ID is received from the CP, cancelling printing of the print data of the print job having the job ID; and

notifying the CP of cancellation of the print job.

19. The image forming method according to claim 12, further comprising:

when the print data is completely printed, notifying the CP of completion of printing.

20. The image forming method according to claim 17, further comprising:

displaying the print status on a user interface of the image forming apparatus.

21. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the transmitting of the created job ID and the created data sink address comprises encoding the created job ID and the created data sink address using a preset password, and transmitting the encoded job ID and encoded data sink address.

22. The image forming method according to claim 12, wherein the creating of the job ID comprises creating a job ID specific to the print job, and the creating of the data sink address comprises creating a data sink address having a variable portion specific to the print job.

26. The image forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the network is a digital living network alliance (DLNA) network.

23. An image forming method, comprising:

requesting a print job from a control point (CP);

creating a unique data sink address for the print job, comprising creating a job ID or using information specific to the CP; and

sending print data to the unique data sink address.

24. The image forming method according to claim 23, wherein the using the information specific to the CP comprises using at least one of an IP address, a media access control address, or a combination thereof.