MANAGEMENT SERVER, METHOD OF MANAGING WORKFORM AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20130063772A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Printing Korea Co., Ltd. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: BAE, Hyun-jin
• Granted Patent: US 10,075,606 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 3/1205 resulting in increased flexibility in print job configuration, e.g. job settings, print requirements, job tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1275 Print workflow management, e.g. defining or changing a workflow, cross publishing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00222 details of image data generation or reproduction, e.g. scan-to-email or network printing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00949 Combining applications, e.g. to create workflows allocation of computer machine resources considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks G06F9/5038
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0074 Arrangements for the control of a still picture apparatus by the connected apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0094 Multifunctional device, i.e. a device capable of all of reading, reproducing, copying, facsimile transception, file transception

Abstract

A management server is provided. The management server includes a user interface to receive an input of a plug-in corresponding to a job of an image forming apparatus to generate a workform, which defines a job performing order of the image forming apparatus, and to receive an input of an execution start condition of the plug-in, a workform generator to generate a workform based on the input plug-in and the execution start condition, and a communication interface to transmit the generated workform to the image forming apparatus.

Claims

1. A management server which is communicatively connectible to an image forming apparatus, the management server comprising:

a user interface to receive an input of a plug-in corresponding to a job of the image forming apparatus to generate a workform, which defines a job performing order of the image forming apparatus, and to receive an input of an execution start condition of the plug-in;

a workform generator to generate the workform based on the input plug-in and the execution start condition; and

a communication interface to transmit the generated workform to the image forming apparatus.

2. The management server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication interface receives execution information of the workform from the image forming apparatus to which the generated workform is transmitted,

wherein the management server further comprises a controller to perform a job corresponding to the generated workform based on the execution information of the workform.

3. The management server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the execution information comprises at least one of information of the image forming apparatus, information of the generated workform performed by the image forming apparatus, and resulting information of a job performed by the image forming apparatus.

4. The management server as claimed in claim 2, wherein the controller compares an execution start condition set for a plug-in within the generated workform and the received execution information, and performs a job corresponding to the plug-in if the execution information is matched with the execution start condition.

5. The management server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in is at least one of an input plug-in, a conversion plug-in, and a transmission plug-in.

6. The management server as claimed in claim 5, wherein the input plug-in comprises at least one of a scan plug-in, a fax plug-in, an email plug-in, a folder plug-in, and a file transfer protocol (FTP) plug-in,

wherein the conversion plug-in comprises an optical character recognition (OCR) plug-in, and

wherein the transmission plug-in comprises at least one of an email plug-in, an FTP plug-in, a PCFAX plug-in, a folder plug-in, a printer plug-in, and a database plug-in.

7. The management server as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit to store the generated workform.

8. The management server as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user interface displays a user interface window comprising a first region to display a plurality of plug-ins and a second region to display a plug-in selected from among the plurality of plug-ins.

9. The management server as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second region hierarchically displays the selected plug-in according to the selected order or the job performing order.

10. The management server as claimed in claim 8, wherein the user interface window further comprises:

a third region to receive input of an execution start condition for the selected plug-in.

11. A method of managing a workform of a management server which is communicatively connectible to an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

displaying a user interface window to receive an input of a plug-in corresponding to a job of the image forming apparatus to generate the workform, which defines a job performing order of the image forming apparatus, and to receive an input of an execution start condition of the plug-in;

generating the workform based on the plug-in and the execution start condition received by the user interface window; and

transmitting the generated workform to the image forming apparatus.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

receiving execution information of the workform from the image forming apparatus to which the generated workform is transmitted; and

performing a job corresponding to the generated workform based on the execution information of the workform.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the execution information comprises at least one of information of the image forming apparatus, information of the generated workform performed by the image forming apparatus, and resulting information of a job performed by the image forming apparatus.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the performing the job comprises:

comparing an execution start condition set for a plug-in within the generated workform and the received execution information, and, if the execution information is matched with the execution start condition, performing a job corresponding to the plug-in.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plug-in is at least one of an input plug-in, a conversion plug-in, and a transmission plug-in.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the input plug-in comprises at least one of a scan plug-in, a fax plug-in, an email plug-in, a folder plug-in, and an FTP plug-in,

wherein the conversion plug-in comprises an OCR plug-in, and

wherein the transmission plug-in comprises at least one of an email plug-in, an FTP plug-in, a PCFAX plug-in, a folder plug-in, a printer plug-in, and a database plug-in.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein displaying the user interface window comprises:

displaying a first region including a plurality of plug-ins; and

displaying a second region including a plug-in selected from among the plurality of plug-ins.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the displaying the second region comprises:

hierarchically displaying the selected plug-in according to the selected order or the job performing order.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the displaying the user interface window further comprises:

displaying a third region to receive input of an execution start condition of the selected plug-in.

20. A non-transitory recording medium in which a program code to perform a method of managing a workform of a management server communicatively connectible to an image forming apparatus is stored, the method of managing the workform comprising:

displaying a user interface window to receive an input of a plug-in corresponding to a job of the image forming apparatus to generate the workform, which defines a job performing order of the image forming apparatus, and to receive input of an execution start condition for the plug-in;

generating the workform based on the plug-in and the execution start condition received by the user interface window; and

transmitting the generated workform to the image forming apparatus.

21. A method of generating a workform to control one or more operations of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a plug-in corresponding to a job to be performed by the image forming apparatus with an interface of a workform management server;

receiving at least one execution start condition of the selected plug-in with the interface; and

generating a workform according to the selected plug-in and the received at least one execution start condition.

22. A method of executing a workform to control one or more operations of an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving plug-in execution information of a plug-in with the image forming apparatus, the plug-in corresponding to a job to be performed by the image forming apparatus;

determining whether the plug-in execution information is matched with an execution start condition; and

performing the job corresponding to the plug-in when it is determined that the plug-in execution information is matched with an execution start condition.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

determining whether the plug-in is a lowest-order plug-in; and

when the plug-in not the lowest order plug-in, determining whether a second plug-in execution information is matched with the execution start condition; and

performing the job corresponding to a second plug-in when it is determined that the second plug-in execution information is matched with the execution start condition.