PRINT SERVER, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, CLIENT TERMINAL, PRINTING SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20120062946A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kitagata, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,711 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 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration

Abstract

A print server comprises: a list request receiving unit configured to receive, from a client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing; an acquisition unit configured to send a request to a printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status; and a sending unit configured to send, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on a Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired by the acquisition unit, wherein when the acquisition unit cannot acquire the status of the printer, the sending unit sends the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired.

Claims

1. A print server in a printing system including a client terminal having a Web browser, the print server, and a printer, comprising:

a list request receiving unit configured to receive, from the client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing;

an acquisition unit configured to send a request to the printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status; and

a sending unit configured to send, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on the Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired by said acquisition unit,

wherein when said acquisition unit cannot acquire the status of the printer, said sending unit sends the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein

said sending unit sets a first command and a second command as the command in the printer list data,

the first command is executed by the Web browser upon sending the printer list data from the print server to the client terminal, and has a shorter timeout value than the second command to acquire a status from the printer, and

the second command is executed by the Web browser when a user instructs the printer to reacquire a status, and has a longer timeout value than the first command to acquire a status from the printer.

3. The server according to claim 1, wherein when a printer contained in the printer list has a printable status in sending the printer list data to the client terminal, said sending unit sends the printer list data containing a description for displaying an item which allows a user to select the printer on the Web browser.

4. The server according to claim 1, wherein the printer list data sent by said sending unit is described in an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format, and the command contained in the printer list data is described in JavaScript.

5. The server according to claim 1, wherein when the status of the printer cannot be acquired and the Web browser of the client terminal which has sent the printer list request has a cross domain communication function, said sending unit sets the command in the printer list data.

6. A client terminal in a printing system including the client terminal having a Web browser, a print server, and a printer, comprising:

a list request sending unit configured to send a printer list request to the print server;

a status acquisition unit configured to acquire a status from the printer in accordance with a command contained in printer list data received from the print server;

an update unit configured to update the printer list data received from the print server using the status acquired by said status acquisition unit; and

a display unit configured to display, by using the printer list data updated by said update unit, the printer list and an item that allows a user to select, on the Web browser, a printer capable of printing contained in the printer list.

7. A printing system including a client terminal having a Web browser, a print server, and a printer, wherein

the print server includes

a list request receiving unit configured to receive, from the client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing,

an acquisition unit configured to send a request to the printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status, and

a sending unit configured to send, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on the Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired by said acquisition unit,

when said acquisition unit cannot acquire the status of the printer, said sending unit sends the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired, and

the client terminal includes

a list request sending unit configured to send a printer list request to the print server,

a status acquisition unit configured to acquire a status from the printer in accordance with the command contained in the printer list data received from the print server,

an update unit configured to update the printer list data received from the print server using the status acquired by said status acquisition unit, and

a display unit configured to display, by using the printer list data updated by said update unit, the printer list and an item that allows a user to select, on the Web browser, a printer capable of printing contained in the printer list.

8. A printing system including a client terminal having a Web browser, a print server, and a printer, wherein

the print server includes

a list request receiving unit configured to receive, from the client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing,

an acquisition unit configured to send a request to the printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status, and

a sending unit configured to send, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on the Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired by said acquisition unit,

when said acquisition unit cannot acquire the status of the printer, said sending unit sends the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired,

the client terminal includes

a list request sending unit configured to send a printer list request to the print server,

an inquiry unit configured to inquire the status of the printer in accordance with the command contained in the printer list data received from the print server, and

an update request unit configured to request the print server to update the printer list,

the printer includes a notification unit configured to notify the print server of the status of the printer in accordance with an inquiry from the client terminal, and

said sending unit of the print server updates the printer list data using the status notified by said notification unit of the printer, and sends the updated printer list data to the client terminal in accordance with an update request from the client terminal.

9. A method of controlling a print server in a printing system including a client terminal having a Web browser, the print server, and a printer, comprising:

a list request receiving step of causing a list request receiving unit to receive, from the client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing;

an acquisition step of causing an acquisition unit to send a request to the printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status; and

a sending step of causing a sending unit to send, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on the Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired in the acquisition step,

wherein in the sending step, when the status of the printer cannot be acquired in the acquisition step, the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired is sent.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as

a list request receiving unit which receives, from the client terminal, a printer list request containing information indicating a printer capable of printing,

an acquisition unit which sends a request to the printer to acquire a status indicating whether the printer can print, thereby acquiring the status, and

a sending unit which sends, to the client terminal that has sent the printer list request, printer list data described in a format for display on the Web browser of the client terminal using the status of the printer that has been acquired by said acquisition unit,

wherein when said acquisition unit cannot acquire the status of the printer, said sending unit sends the printer list data containing a command which allows the Web browser of the client terminal to inquire a status of a printer whose status cannot be acquired.