Image forming system, image forming apparatus and method of controlling the same

• US 6,313,921 B1
• Filed: 09/18/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kadowaki, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Arthur G.
• Application Number:
  US09/157,137
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.1, 358/1.15, 358/1.2, 358/1.16, 358/1.18, 358/1.13, 358/1.6, 358/402, 358/403, 358/405, 358/452, 705/60-62, 705/50-51
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/00 Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data , e.g. computer output printersprinting or plotting combined with another operation, e.g. with conveying, G06K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1803 Receiving particular commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1809 relating to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2215/0011 characterised by a particular command or data flow, e.g. Page Description Language, configuration commands
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3276 of a customised additional information profile, e.g. a profile specific to a user ID

Abstract

A print job containing designation of personalization for setup data for image formation is received from, e.g., a computer. Personalizing information is acquired from a server via a network. On the basis of the acquired personalizing information, an image forming unit forms the image based on the print job.

Claims

1. An image forming system having a server, an external apparatus, and an image forming apparatus are connected via a network, comprising:

generating means, provided in said external apparatus, for generating image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

transmitting means for transmitting the image forming information generated by said generating means to said image forming apparatus;

managing means, provided in said server, for managing setup information for image formation by said image forming apparatus;

receiving means, provided in said image forming apparatus, for receiving the image forming information;

acquiring means for acquiring setup information managed in said server and corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information received by said receiving means; and

forming means for forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired by said acquiring means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming apparatus is at least a printer or a facsimile apparatus.

3. An image forming apparatus connected to a server and an external apparatus via a network, comprising:

receiving means for receiving, from said external apparatus, image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

acquiring means for acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information received by said receiving means; and

forming means for forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired by said acquiring means.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the key is a user ID for identifying the image forming information, and

said acquiring means transmits the user ID to said server and acquires setup information corresponding to the user ID.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the user ID indicates a user who has formed the image forming information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the user ID indicates an external apparatus which has formed the image forming information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the user ID contains password information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the key contains access information for accessing a server to be accessed, and

said acquiring means accesses a server indicated by the access information and acquires setup information corresponding to the access information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the access information is a network address of said server.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the access information contains a name of a file containing setup information in addition to the network address of said server.

11. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquiring means updates a current value of the setup information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquiring means updates a default value of the setup information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said server comprises font holding means for holding font data, and

the setup information contains setup data for the font data.

14. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said server comprises supplementary image holding means for holding a supplementary image formable by said forming means, and

the setup information contains setup data for the supplementary image.

15. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information contains setup data for a process when the image formation based on the image forming information terminates normally.

16. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information contains setup data for a process when an error occurs.

17. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising display means for displaying information relating to the image formation based on the image forming information,

wherein the setup information contains setup data for contents displayed by said display means.

18. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information contains setup data for restrictions in the image formation based on the image forming information.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the restrictions contain setup data for available functions.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the restrictions contain setup data for available amounts for printing.

21. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information contains types and contents of various setup data in the form of a list.

22. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information is formed by a script.

23. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the setup information is formed by a program.

24. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the key contains machine type group ID information indicating a machine type group of said external apparatus, and

said acquiring means acquires setup information corresponding to the machine type group ID information from said server.

25. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the key contains machine type ID information indicating a machine type of said external apparatus, and

said acquiring means acquires setup information corresponding to the machine type ID information from said server.

26. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the key contains apparatus ID information for identifying each of a plurality of external apparatuses, and

said acquiring means acquires setup information corresponding to the apparatus ID information from said server.

27. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said acquiring means acquires setup information from one of a plurality of servers on the basis of the key.

28. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the setup information contains a plurality of elements, and

said acquiring means acquires a part of the setup information when necessary.

29. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said receiving means receives the image forming information from an external apparatus connected in a one-to-one correspondence with said receiving means through a public network on the basis of a communication function defined by CCITT recommendation.

30. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the key contains an instruction to update setup information managed by said server.

31. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus connected to a server and an external apparatus via a network, comprising:

the reception step of receiving, from said external apparatus, image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

the acquisition step of acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information received in the reception step; and

the formation step of forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired in the acquisition step.

32. A computer readable memory storing program codes for controlling an image forming apparatus connected to a server and an external apparatus via a network, comprising:

a program code of the reception step of receiving, from said external apparatus, image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

a program code of the acquisition step of acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information received in the reception step; and

a program code of the formation step of forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired in the acquisition step.

33. An image forming system in which a server and an image forming apparatus are connected via a network, comprising:

generating means, provided in said image forming apparatus, for generating image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

transmitting means for transmitting the image forming information generated by said generating means to said server;

managing means, provided in said server, for managing setup information for image formation by said image forming apparatus;

receiving means for receiving the image forming information transmitted from said image forming apparatus;

acquiring means for acquiring setup information managed by said managing means and corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information received by said receiving means; and

forming means for forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired by said acquiring means.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said image forming apparatus is at least a printer or a facsimile apparatus.

35. An image forming apparatus connected to a server via a network, comprising:

generating means for generating image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

acquiring means for acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information generated by said generating means; and

forming means for forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired by said acquiring means.

36. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein

the key is a user ID for identifying the image forming information, and

said acquiring means transmits the user ID to said server and acquires setup information corresponding to the user ID.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the user ID indicates a user who has formed the image forming information.

38. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the user ID indicates an external apparatus which has formed the image forming information.

39. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the user ID contains password information.

40. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein

the key contains access information for accessing a server to be accessed, and

said acquiring means accesses a server indicated by the access information and acquires setup information corresponding to the access information.

41. The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the access information is a network address of said server.

42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the access information contains a name of a file containing setup information in addition to the network address of said server.

43. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said acquiring means updates a current value of the setup information.

44. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein said acquiring means updates a default value of the setup information.

45. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein

said server comprises font holding means for holding font data, and

the setup information contains setup data for the font data.

46. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein

said server comprises supplementary image holding means for holding a supplementary image formable by said forming means, and

the setup information contains setup data for the supplementary image.

47. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information contains setup data for a process when the image formation based on the image forming information terminates normally.

48. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information contains setup data for a process when an error occurs.

49. The apparatus according to claim 35, further comprising display means for displaying information relating to the image formation based on the image forming information,

wherein the setup information contains setup data for contents displayed by said display means.

50. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information contains setup data for restrictions in the image formation based on the image forming information.

51. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein the restrictions contain setup data for available functions.

52. The apparatus according to claim 50, wherein the restrictions contain setup data for available amounts.

53. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information contains types and contents of various setup data in the form of a list.

54. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information is formed by a script.

55. The apparatus according to claim 35, wherein the setup information is formed by a program.

56. A method of controlling an image forming apparatus connected to a server via a network, comprising:

the generation step of generating image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

the acquisition step of acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information generated in the generation step; and

the formation step of forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired in the acquisition step.

57. A computer readable memory storing program codes for controlling an image forming apparatus connected to a server via a network, comprising:

a program code of the generation step of generating image forming information containing a key for designating acquisition of setup information for image formation;

a program code of the acquisition step of acquiring, from said server, setup information corresponding to the key contained in the image forming information generated in the generation step; and

a program code of the formation step of forming an image corresponding to the image forming information on the basis of the setup information acquired in the acquisition step.