SERVER SYSTEM, PORTABLE TERMINAL APPARATUS, OPERATION INFORMATION COLLECTION SYSTEM, NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM, METHOD OF OPERATING SERVER SYSTEM, AND METHOD OF OPERATING PORTABLE TERMINAL APPARATUS

• US 20190034132A1
• Filed: 07/30/2018
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: YAMADA, Yusuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,445,029 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1207 resulting in the user being informed about print result after a job submission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1234 Errors handling and recovery, e.g. reprinting G06F3/1261 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1261 by using alternate printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1292 Mobile client, e.g. wireless printing

Abstract

A server system that collects operation information on a printer through a network includes a communication interface that receives the operation information; and a processor that causes a display screen that is based on the operation information, to be displayed on a portable terminal apparatus that is connected through the network. The processor performs processing that causes the display screen, within one screen of which pieces of information that are remaining times to completion of printing by a plurality of the printers or pieces of printing completion time information on the plurality of the printers are arranged, to be displayed on a display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

Claims

1. A server system that collects operation information on a printer through a network, the system comprising:

a communication interface that receives the operation information on the printer; and

a processor that causes a display screen that is based on the operation information, to be displayed on a portable terminal apparatus that is connected through the network,

wherein the processor performs processing that causes the display screen, within one screen of which pieces of information that are remaining times to completion of printing by a plurality of the printers or pieces of printing completion time information on the plurality of the printers are arranged, to be displayed on a display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

2. The server system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor performs processing that causes a display mode for the printer in which an event occurs to change to a display mode that is different from display modes for other printers.

3. The server system according to claim 2,

wherein the event is an event in which an error or a warning occurs in the printer.

4. The server system according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where the event in which the error occurs is detected, the processor performs processing that causes information that specifies a time for interruption of a printing operation by the printer due to the error, to be displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

5. The server system according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where the event in which the error occurs is detected, the processor performs processing that causes at least one of information that specifies a job at the time of the occurrence of the error and information on progress in performing the job at the time of the occurrence of the error, to be displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

6. The server system according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case where it is detected that the event occurs in the printer, the processor performs processing that makes push notification of an instruction to update the display screen to the portable terminal apparatus.

7. The server system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a database that results from associating the portable terminal apparatus and the plurality of printers, pieces of operation information on which are targets for display in the portable terminal apparatus with each other,

wherein the processor performs processing that updates the database based on setting information that is received from the portable terminal apparatus.

8. The server system according to claim 1,

wherein, in the case of a first display setting, the processor performs processing that causes a name of a file that is being printed to be displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus, and

wherein, in the case of a second display setting that is different from the first display setting, the processor performs processing that causes information that substitutes for the name of the file, to be displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

9. The server system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor performs processing that causes the display screen, within one screen of which pieces of job history information on a plurality of the printers are arranged, to be displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

10. The server system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor performs processing that causes a display area for a first printer and a display area for a second printer which is different from the first printer, among a plurality of the printers, to be displayed in different sizes on the display unit of the portable terminal apparatus.

11. The server system according to claim 10,

wherein the processor performs at least one of processing that causes a display area for the printer on standby to be displayed in a smaller size than a display area for the printer that is performing a job, processing that causes a display area for the selected printer to be displayed in a greater size than a display area for the printer that is not selected, and processing that causes a display area for the printer in which an error occurs to be displayed in a greater size than a display area for the printer in which the error does not occur.

12. A portable terminal apparatus that is communicatively connected to a server system which collects operation information on a printer, through a network, the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface that receives operation information on the printer;

a display unit on which the operation information is displayed; and

a processor that performs control of display on the display unit,

wherein the processor performs processing that displays a display screen, within one screen of which pieces of information that are remaining times to completion of printing by a plurality of the printers or pieces of printing completion time information on the plurality of the printers are arranged.

13. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein, in a case where any printer is selected from among the plurality of the printers, the pieces of remaining-time information or the pieces of printing completion time information on which are displayed, the processor performs processing that enlarges the display area for the selected printer and displays detail information.

14. The portable terminal apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the processor performs counting-down processing of the remaining time that is the information, based on the remaining-time information that is received by the communication interface and on clocking information from a timer, and performs processing that displays the display screen, within one screen of which the pieces of remaining-time information on the plurality of the printers, which results after the counting-down processing are performed on the plurality of the printers, are arranged.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which a program that causes a portable terminal apparatus, which is communicatively connected to a server system that collects operation information on a printer, through a network, to operate is stored, the program causing the computer to function as:

a communication interface that receives the operation information on the printer; and

a processor that performs control of display on the display unit on which the operation information is displayed,

wherein the processor performs processing that displays a display screen, within one screen of which pieces of information that are remaining times to completion of printing by a plurality of the printers or pieces of printing completion time information on the plurality of the printers are arranged.