IMAGE FORMING DEVICE, TERMINAL DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING SYSTEM AND NON-TRANSITORY READABLE RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20170024173A1
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Inventors: IWAMOTO, Shohei
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/1258 by updating job settings at the printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1267 Job repository, e.g. non-scheduled jobs, delay printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

An image forming device comprises: an additional information determining part that determines necessity of additional information required for execution of a print job based on information received from a terminal device; a print job storage that temporarily stores therein the print job received from the terminal device when the additional information determining part determines the additional information is necessary; an additional information requesting part that requests for the additional information to the terminal device when the additional information determining part determines the additional information is necessary; an additional information obtaining part that obtains the additional information from the terminal device; a print setting applying part that applies the additional information to the print job stored in the print job storage; and a printing part that produces the printed output based on the print job to which the additional information is applied by the print setting applying part.

Claims

1. An image forming device, that is allowed to communicate with a terminal device having a print job transmission function in an operating system, receives a print job sent from said terminal device using said print job transmission function and produces a printed output, comprising:

an additional information determining part that determines necessity of additional information required for execution of said print job based on information received from said terminal device;

a print job storage that temporarily stores therein said print job received from said terminal device when said additional information determining part determines said additional information is necessary;

an additional information requesting part that requests for said additional information to said terminal device when said additional information determining part determines said additional information is necessary;

an additional information obtaining part that obtains said additional information from said terminal device;

a print setting applying part that applies said additional information to said print job stored in said print job storage after said additional information is obtained by said additional information obtaining part; and

a printing part that produces the printed output based on said print job to which said additional information is applied by said print setting applying pert.

2. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

said additional information determining part determines the necessity of said additional information based on information sent by said print job transmission function aside from said print job.

3. The image forming device according to claim 2, wherein

said additional information determining part determines the necessity of said additional information based on inquiry information relating to print setting sent by said print job transmission function when receiving the inquiry information.

4. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

said additional information determining part determines the necessity of said additional information based on print setting information included in said print job sent by said print job transmission function when said print job is received.

5. The image forming device according to claim 4, wherein

said additional information determining part determines that said additional information is necessary when information relating to a setting item configurable at said image forming device is not included in said print setting information.

6. The image forming device according to claim 4, wherein

said additional information determining pert determines that said additional information is necessary when the number of the item configurable at said image forming device is more than the number of a print setting item included in said print setting information.

7. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

said additional information requesting part requests for said additional information to an application different from said print job transmission function at said terminal device when said additional information determining pert determines that said additional information is necessary.

8. The image forming device according to claim 7, wherein

said additional information requesting part requests for said additional information to said application after running said application on said terminal device.

9. The image forming device according to claim 7, wherein

said additional information requesting part notifies said application of information relating to the print setting item required as said additional information.

10. The image forming device according to claim 9, wherein

said additional information requesting pan notifies said application of whole the information relating to the print setting item configurable at said image forming device.

11. The image forming device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a web server that provides a web page which allows the print setting to be configured, wherein

said additional information requesting pert runs a web browser on said terminal device and enables mid web browser to access said web page when said additional information determining pear determines that mid additional information is necessary, and

said additional information obtaining pan obtains said additional information based on operation information received from said web browser as said web browser is accessing said web page.

12. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

said print setting applying part applies a predetermined default value to the setting item corresponding to said additional information when said additional information is not obtained by said additional information obtaining part in a predetermined period of time after a process by said additional information requesting part is performed.

13. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein

said additional information include authentication information to identify a user.

14. A terminal device having a print job transmission function in an operating system sends a print job to an image forming device using said print job transmission function, comprising:

a display part on which a variety of information is displayed;

a manipulation input part that receives user inputs;

an application running part that runs a predetermined application if additional information is requested by said image forming device when said print job transmission function sends said print job;

an additional information receiving part that enables said application to display a screen to input said additional information on said display part and receives an input of said additional information based on the user input to said manipulation input part; and

an additional information transmission part that sends said additional information received by said additional information receiving part to said image forming device separately from said print job.

15. An image forming system comprising:

a terminal device that has a print job transmission function in an operating system; and

an image forming device that is capable of communicating with said terminal device, and receives a print job sent from said terminal device by using said print job transmission function and produces a printed output, wherein

said image forming device includes;

an additional information determining part that determines necessity of additional information relating to print setting required for execution of said print job based on information received from said terminal device;

a print job storage that temporarily stores therein said print job received from said terminal device when said additional information determining part determines that said additional information is necessary;

an additional information requesting part that requests for said additional information to said terminal device when said additional information determining part determines that said additional information is necessary;

an additional information obtaining part that obtains said additional information from said terminal device;

a print setting applying part that applies said additional information to the print setting about said print job stored in said print job storage after said additional information is obtained by said additional information obtaining part; and

a printing part that executes said print job and produces the printed output based on the print setting to which said additional information is applied by said print setting applying part, and

said terminal device includes;

a display part on which a variety of information is displayed;

a manipulation input part that receives user inputs;

an application running part that runs a predetermined application if additional information is requested by said image forming device when said print job transmission function sends said print job;

an additional information receiving part that enables said application to display a screen to input said additional information on said display part and receives an input of said additional information based on the user input to said manipulation input pert; and

an additional information transmission part that sends said additional information received by said additional information receiving part to said image forming device separately from said print job.

16. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program to be executed by an image forming device, that is capable of communicating with a terminal device having a print job transmission function in an operating system and receives a print job sent from said terminal device by using said print job transmission function, thereby producing a printed output, execution of the program by said image forming device causing said image forming device to execute the steps of:

(1) determining necessity of additional information required for execution of said print job based on information received from said terminal device;

(2) temporarily storing said print job received from said terminal device in a predetermined storage when it is determined that said additional information is necessary in said step (1);

(3) requesting for said additional information to said terminal device when it is determined that said additional information is necessary in said step (1);

(4) obtaining said additional information from said terminal device;

(5) applying said additional information to said print job stored in said storage after said additional information is obtained in said step (4); and

(6) producing the printed output based on said print job to which said additional information is applied in said step (5).

17. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

the necessity of said additional information is determined in said step (1) based on information sent by said print job transmission function aside from said print job.

18. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 17, wherein

the necessity of said additional information is determined in said step (1) based on inquiry information relating to print setting sent by said print job transmission function when the inquiry information is received.

19. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

the necessity of said additional information is determined in said step (1) based on print setting information included in said print job sent by said print job transmission function when said print job is received.

20. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein

it is determined in said step (1) that said additional information is necessary when information relating to a setting item configurable at said image forming device is not included in said print setting information.

21. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 19, wherein

it is determined in said step (1) that said additional information is necessary when the number of the item configurable at said image forming device is more than the number of a print setting item included in said print setting information.

22. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

said additional information is requested in said step (3) to an application different from said print job transmission function at said terminal device when it is determine that said additional information is necessary in said step (1).

23. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 22, wherein

said additional information is requested in said step (3) to said application after said application is run on said terminal device.

24. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 22 wherein

said application is notified in said step (3) of information relating to the print setting item required as said additional information.

25. The non-transitory computer readable recoding medium according to claim 24, wherein

said application is notified in said step (3) of whole the information relating to the print setting item configurable at said image forming device.

26. The non-transitory computer readable recoding medium according to claim 16, execution of the program by said image forming device causing said image forming device to execute the further step of:

(7) providing a web page which allows the print setting to be configured wherein

a web browser is run on said terminal device and said web browser is enabled to access said web page in said step (3) when it is determined in said step (1) that said additional information is necessary, and

said additional information is obtained in mid step (4) based on operation information received from said web browser as said web browser is accessing said web page.

27. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

a predetermined default value is applied to the setting item corresponding to said additional information in said step (5) when said additional information is not obtained by said step (4) in a predetermined period of time after a process in said step (3) is performed.

28. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

said additional information includes authentication information to identify a user.

29. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program to be executed by a terminal device having a print job transmission function in an operating system sends a print job to an image forming device using said print job transmission function, the program is run by said operating system if additional information relating to said print job is requested by said image forming device when said print job transmission function sends said print job to said image forming device, execution of the program by said operating system causing said terminal device to execute the steps of:

(1) enabling a predetermined display part to display a screen to input said additional information;

(2) receiving an input of said additional information based on a user input to a predetermined manipulation input pan; and

(3) sending said additional information received in said step (2) to said image forming device separately from said print job.