PRINTING APPARATUS, SERVER, PRINTING SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD FOR PRINTING APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM STORING CONTROL PROGRAM THEREFOR

• US 20110199640A1
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SHIRAI, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,780,388 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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 3/1257 by using pre-stored settings, e.g. job templates, presets, print styles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1258 by updating job settings at the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/129 in server-printer device-client configuration, e.g. print flow goes from server to printer and then bidirectional from printer to client, i.e. the client does not communicate with the server

Abstract

A printing apparatus, which is capable of making effective use of the extended setting set up once without performing the extended setting each time, and is capable of improving user'"'"'s convenience. A printing apparatus is connected to an information processing apparatus that instructs printing execution, is connected to a server via a network, and executes printing according to a print job generated by the information processing apparatus. A request unit requests an extended print setting from the server when receiving a request of the extended print setting that extends a predetermined basic print setting from the information processing apparatus. A holding unit holds extended print setting information showing the extended print setting corresponding to the printing apparatus received from the server in response to the request. A sending unit sends the extended print setting information held by the holding unit to the information processing apparatus.

Claims

1. A printing apparatus that is connected to an information processing apparatus that instructs printing execution, that is connected to a server via a network, and that executes printing according to a print job generated by the information processing apparatus, comprising:

a request unit configured to request an extended print setting from the server when receiving a request of the extended print setting that extends a predetermined basic print setting from the information processing apparatus;

a holding unit configured to hold extended print setting information showing the extended print setting corresponding to the printing apparatus received from the server in response to the request; and

a sending unit configured to send the extended print setting information held by said holding unit to the information processing apparatus.

2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said sending unit sends the extended print setting information to the information processing apparatus if said holding unit has already held the extended print setting information at the time when the extended print setting is requested from the information processing apparatus.

3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether the extended setting information showing the extended print setting included in a print job generated by the information processing apparatus is the same as the extended print setting information held by said holding unit, when the print job includes the extended print setting; and

an updating unit configured to substitute the extended setting information for the extended print setting information when the extended setting information differs from the extended print setting information.

4. The printing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a print job sending unit configured to send the extended print setting information and the print job to the server in order to control the server to generate printing data according to the extended print setting information and the print job; and

a printing unit configured to receive the printing data and to execute a printing process according to the printing data.

7. A printing system having the printing apparatus according to claim 1 and the server according to claim 5.

5. A server that is connected to an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus via a network and that generates printing data according to a print job generated by the information processing apparatus, comprising:

a generation unit configured to generate extended print setting information showing an extended print setting corresponding to the printing apparatus, when a request of the extended print setting that extends a basic print setting predetermined in the information processing apparatus is sent to the printing apparatus according to a user'"'"'s operation and when the request of the extended print setting is received from the printing apparatus; and

a sending unit configured to send the extended print setting information to the printing apparatus.

6. The server according to claim 5, further comprising:

a printing data generation unit configured to generate printing data according to the extended print setting information and the print job, when the print job generated by the information processing apparatus is sent to the printing apparatus together with the extended print setting and when the extended print setting information showing the extended print setting and the print job are received from the printing apparatus; and

a printing data sending unit configured to send the printing data to the printing apparatus and to control the printing apparatus to execute a printing process according to the printing data.

8. A control method for a printing apparatus that is connected to an information processing apparatus that instructs printing execution, that is connected to a server via a network, and that executes printing according to a print job generated by the information processing apparatus, comprising:

a request step of requesting an extended print setting from the server when receiving a request of the extended print setting that extends a predetermined basic print setting from the information processing apparatus;

a holding step of holding extended print setting information showing the extended print setting corresponding to the printing apparatus received from the server in response to the request; and

a sending step of sending the extended print setting information held in said holding step to the information processing apparatus.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a control program causing a computer to execute a control method for a printing apparatus that is connected to an information processing apparatus that instructs printing execution, that is connected to a server via a network, and that executes printing according to a print job generated by the information processing apparatus, the method comprising:

a request step of requesting an extended print setting from the server when receiving a request of the extended print setting that extends a predetermined basic print setting from the information processing apparatus;

a holding step of holding extended print setting information as holding extended setting information when the extended print setting information showing the extended print setting corresponding to the printing apparatus is received from the server in response to the request; and

a sending step of sending the holding extended setting information to the information processing apparatus.